BBC Gardeners' World July 2022

FRESH PICKINGS

Monty reveals how to keep veg and herb harvests coming

July 2022

ENJOY MORE FRUIT

Frances’ step-by-step plan for pruning your apples and pears

SAVE WATER NOW

Follow Alan’s guide to help the planet and shrink those bills

NO.1 SINCE 1991 – GROWING TOGETHER FOR 30 YEARS ¥¶.1 òz¥-F 1991 – eè¶ĭz¥e þ¶eFþqFè b¶è 30 ĵF èò

JULY 2022 Holiday special K Saving water K House plant care K Kids’ projects K Pruning fruit K Solar lighting K DIY compost bin

MAKE YOUR OWN compost bin L HOLIDAY SPECIA

eFþ þqF Kz7ò GET THE KIDS OUTDOORS! 10 summer projects for big fun on a low budget

Give wildlife a better home

HOUSE PLANTS

Your holiday survival guide

HOW TO CHOOSE

SOLAR LIGHTS July issue on sale 23 June-20 July

£5.99

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Heaven

scent Perfume pots to delight your senses

More from Meet Adam…

on our exclusive tour of glorious gardens in the East of England, where you’ll be joined for a memorable day

by Adam Frost. Departing 7 August, places are limited – see page 77 for more.

Listen out…

to the latest in our award-winning podcast with foody expertise from Monty on the summer harvest, Charles Dowding on No Dig, plus chefs Marcus Wareing and Prue Leith. GardenersWorld.com/podcast

Welcome...

in nature with our 132-page guide to wildlife gardening – includes 75 star plants and spotter’s guides to over 50 species. Buy online now for just £7.99 9 (+P&P) at magsdirect. co.uk/GWGWildlife

Learn a skill...

EDITOR’S PORTRAIT: JASON INGRAM OTHER IMAGES: SARAH CUTTLE; JASON INGRAM

Perfect your pruning this summer – with expert host David Hurrion. Join online on Friday 1 July at 12 noon, for 90 minutes of demo and Q&A. Just £15 at Gardeners World.com/grow-how

Keep up to date with us at FACEBOOK @GWmagazine INSTAGRAM @gardenersworldmag TWITTER @GWmag PINTEREST @GWmag Looking to get in touch? Turn to page 146 July 2022

Welcome

Editor of the Year: Homes & Gardens

Summertime – and the livin’

is easy… Well, Gershwin may not have been a gardener but he (and his lyricist) wrote the song for us all to live by through the months of July and August.

Now is the moment when our gardens accelerate into overdrive, fuelled by long days and warm nights. It’s our role to keep the engine heading in the right direction – and enjoy the ride!

Simply being outside for longer gives us a deeper connection to the nature around us, while making our gardens a sensory pleasure is within easy reach – through fresh and healthy edibles, scented flowers and textural plants. It’s all a vital part of the summer experience, so we share ways to do this and more – including how to choose the best solar lighting to help you enjoy even longer outside, as the sun goes down...

If you’re viewing the summer months as a countdown to Back to School, fear not – we’ve brilliant ways to help keep kids busy and entertained outdoors. These holiday-at-home projects are easy on your pocket too, so hop over to page 52 for inspiration.

House plants can have a tough old time in summer though – so we’re showing them love in this issue, with the brilliant Joe Bagley sharing essential care tips. We were all delighted by Joe’s videos for Gardeners’ World in lockdown, revealing hundreds of the healthiest house plants you’ll ever see. Learn his secrets on page 83.

So enjoy these peak summer moments, from a freshly podded pea to the scent of old roses, of meals outdoors under starry skies and distant squeals of delight from a homemade den.

Memories are made of this...

Lucy Hall, Editor @lucyhall_GW

Fun in the garden is our promise to you this month. Because summer living is better outdoors, whatever your age...

PS Get early bird access to the BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair at

Audley End, Essex, on 2-4 September. Quote GWR1 for 15% off until 8 July at bbcgardenersworldlive.com/autumn-fair – we’ll see you there!

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3

Contents

We

July

On the cover…

28

102 52

Offers for you

We love...

6 We love July 12 Expert’s choice: ipomoea 17 Full Monty: coping with drought 18 Have your say: readers’ letters 20 Clippings: news for gardeners 24 2 for 1 Gardens: Lake District delights

112 68

90 83

offers

14

Fill your winter pots and baskets with pansies for a colour boost

46

61 Rosa ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ by Gap/Fiona McLeod

Be inspired

34 Carol’s must-have perennials 52 Family fun with our gardening special 61 Buyer’s guide to solar lighting 90 Growing Greener: supporting wildlife

Do it now

28 Monty’s summer veg harvests 40 Arit’s container for a shady spot 46 Pots for a summer filled with scent 68 Successful watering with Alan 79 Our pick of eco-watering products 83 Your house plant summer care guide 112 Pruning: cordon pears & trained fruit

FREE 14 24 winter-flowering pansies worth £27.94, plus other plant offers

Subscribe today!

52

26 Sign up for a subscription and get two years for the price of one 160 Treat a friend to a subscription and pay £5 for the first three issues

Fun ideas to keep the family entertained this summer

Grow & Eat

98 Rekha: making the most of courgettes 102 Help your crops cope with heat 111 Your growing guide for the month

Wildlife

96 What to look out for in July

76

Q&A

Have lunch and meet Adam at Boughton House

139 How to avoid hollyhock rust 141 Gardeners’ Question Time

Travel

Last words

76 Join Adam on our East of England tour, plus explore the gardens of Somerset and Dorset

146 Crossword 161 Next month 162 Tales from Titchmarsh

Plants

90

How to reverse the decline in biodiversity

4

81 FREE lavender plants & seed packets 109 3 for 2 banana plants, saving £14.99 133 Save 15% on spring bulbs

For more great offers visit: GardenersWorld.com/offers

83

Discover how to keep your indoor plants in shape

61

Take your pick from our bright ideas for solar lighting

July 2022

46

Savour the scents of summer with our fragrant container displays

28

Monty shows how to get the pick of the crops

40

Brighten up a shady corner with Arit’s statement pot

50 things to do this month Monty’s month 119 Fruit & veg 123 Greenhouse 126 Adam’s essentials 129 Flowers 131 Around the garden 135

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PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE; PAUL DEBOIS; NEIL HEPWORTH; JASON INGRAM. ILLUSTRATION: ELIN BROKENSHAW

68

Alan shares his watering expertise for healthy plants

Your 12-page July planner

5

“Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability” Sam Keen

6

GardenersWorld.com

July 2022

We

We love July

July

July is sometimes a quiet month in our gardens – the hustle and bustle of early summer is over, and we are settling into a gentle jog through the next few weeks. There are lots of plants doing their thing, but we need to plan and make sure there are spaces for fizzy annuals, late perennials and (of course) the first of the dahlias.

The good thing is that if we have a gap then that is a shopping opportunity, and that is something that few gardeners can resist! Plant fairs, nurseries and flower shows: watch out, we are coming for you!

WORDS James Alexander-Sinclair

STAR OF THE MONTH Agastache ‘Blackadder’

Also known as hyssop. Flowers from now until October. Protect from frost in colder areas. Leave flower spikes standing for winter interest.

Height x Spread 90cm x 45cm July 2022

GardenersWorld.com

PHOTO: JASON INGRAM

When presented with a plant with this name it is very difficult to avoid thinking of the Rowan Atkinson/Richard Curtis/Ben Elton series of the same name. However, I am finding it hard to come up with a suitable analogy as the television character is pretty loathsome, whereas this is one of the best plants I have ever had the pleasure to meet. Tall, elegant, perfectly coloured and pretty much essential in any garden. Here, it is partnered beautifully with the dubiously scented Salvia sclarea turkestanica (which smells a bit like Baldrick, so I suppose that gives us a sort of connection).

7

ALRIGHT, PETAL There is something uplifting about echinacea (which is basically a North American prairie plant). I think it is the pert pinkness of most varieties (although this one is a bit more subtle in its attitude) and the fact that they are almost always being cuddled by a bee.

They go brilliantly with light grasses (especially panicum) and our friend on the previous page, the agastache. Beware, they like a bit of space, so no cramming!

Echinacea ‘Summer Cocktail’ Make sure they have lots of sunshine and good drainage. Take root cuttings in autumn.

H x S 60cm x 45cm

SO HOT RIGHT NOW This is the time of year when the hot-coloured flowers come into their own. The freshness of spring is past and summer days are upon us. Our gardens are warm and a little bit dusty. Just right for zings of orange and biffs of red. We can squeeze in another television comedy reference – ‘scorchio’ was always the weather in a Fast Show sketch with the late Caroline Aherne, if I remember rightly.

Crocosmia ’Scorchio’

PHOTO: TORIE CHUGG

PHOTOS: TORIE CHUGG; JASON INGRAM

Grows from corms, so very easy to propagate: just dig up the clump and divide in spring.

Do this every couple of years to avoid congestion. H x S 75cm x 50cm

8

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July 2022

WeWe Month July

LET’S GET MARRIED A classic summer combination: verbena is one of those plants that gives a bit of zing to a newly planted border as it flowers so quickly. It partners well with the fluff and dazzle of grasses (deschampsia, miscanthus and stipas in particular) – in fact, it partners well with pretty much everything!

Verbena bonariensis Seeds itself when happy. Remove larger plants as they get too woody. Younger ones are more elegant. H x S 1.5m x 50cm

Deschampsia cespitosa Evergreen grass. Quite wild and roughlooking. Needs a thorough combing in spring to remove old growth.

H x S 1.2m x 30cm

July 2022

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9

We

July

AGE BEFORE BEAUTY Old and new acting in perfect harmony.

As the glory of the allium goes over then the bounce of a dahlia moves into centrestage. This is a great example of planned succession in a border: we should always be thinking ahead and have something up our sleeves for summer.

Dahlia ‘Blue Bayou’ As with all dahlias, plant out in May once frosts have passed. In autumn lift and store (in colder areas) or cover with a thick mulch.

H x S 1.2m x 75cm

Allium stipitatum ‘Mount Everest’ Good white allium. Plant bulbs in autumn for summer flowering. Seed heads good in dried flower arrangements. H x S 90cm x 20cm

24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE The daylily is a great plant: not just in yellow but also in shades of orange and deep mahogany.

As the name suggests, each fower only lasts for a day, but they have such depth of colour that daylily days are always good days. Also, if you have lots of them – and they are so easy to propagate – then you should have plenty of spare fowers with which to liven up a salad.

Divide in spring or autumn. Tolerates clay soil but needs as much sun as possible for optimum flowering. H x S 100cm x 40cm

10

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July 2022

PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE; JASON INGRAM

Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus

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I. ‘Cardinal’

PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE; JASON INGRAM

I. ‘Carnevale di Venezia’

12

Flowers in soft reds and blues, with no two quite the same. Vigorous, half hardy annual. H x S 2m x 50cm F Jul-Sep

Finely divided foliage develops purple tones in autumn. Vigorous, half hardy annual. H x S 2m x 50cm F Jun-Sep

I. ‘Heavenly Blue’

I. Treasure Island Series

Vigorous, half hardy annual with sky-blue trumpets (here with yellow Thunbergia alata). H x S 3m x 75cm F Jun-Aug

Attractive semi-trailing foliage – plus delicious tubers. Half hardy perennial.

H x S 1.5m x 1.5m Harvest Sep-Oct

Ipomoea Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Planting Flowers

GardenersWorld.com

July 2022

We

July

E xpert ’s ch oi ce

Ipomoea

Variety is the spice of life with these chameleons, says Graham Rice It’s quite possible that Ipomoea ‘Heavenly Blue’ is my favourite flower. Well, for this month anyway! It’s perhaps not my favourite flower in February, that would be – no, let’s not detour down that alleyway…

The thing about ‘Heavenly Blue’, of course, is that the flowers are simply beautiful. Those silky trumpets, unrolling so early and closing by the afternoon. Every day as the clock ticks past noon we’re anticipating the next day’s display.

And ‘Heavenly Blue’ is easy to grow. Not so easy that it rampages through the border, strangling the roses, but not so much of a challenge that we’re more likely to fail than to succeed.

Raising the seeds, however, needs a little care.

I sent some to a friend, once, and before I could explain how to deal with them he’d dumped the whole lot in a pot of garden soil and put it on top of the boiler! And forgotten about them – until spindly creamy-green shoots started trailing down and shrivelling up. Treat them right, and they’re easy.

The other thing about ‘Heavenly Blue’ is that it reminds us of its unpredictably diverse relations.

Apart from climbers there’s sweet potatoes, there’s ornamental sweet potatoes, there’s the little scarlet I. ‘Cardinal’ and there’s I. lobata – which really doesn’t look related to ‘Heavenly Blue’ at all.

And every one is worth growing.

But perhaps start with ‘Heavenly Blue’. Did I mention that it might be my favourite flower?

M Position Flowering climbers are best in full sun but with rich soil that never dries out. Foliage trailers make attractive front-of-the-border ground cover and can spill out of containers.

M Planting Flowering types are raised indoors from spring-sown seeds. They hate chills and poor light, but grow away strongly.

M Care Water and feed well. Deadheading flowering types is usually impractical.

M Where to buy mr-fothergills.co.uk, 0333 777 3936; thompson-morgan.com, 0844 573 1818.

I. lobata One-sided rows of pointed flowers on crimson stems. Vigorous, half hardy annual. H x S 3m x 75cm F Jul-Oct July 2022

VISIT GardenersWorld.com/ ipomoea-inspiration for more tips and advice on growing ipomoea GardenersWorld.com

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July 2022

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The Full Monty

We

July

With thoughts of drought in mind, Monty set out to rebuild his Dry Garden – but will it thrive in his wet Herefordshire plot?

I hope it is raining as you read this.

Fat steady drops falling for hours from a grey sky that do not batter but soak slowly into the thirsty soil. But chance would be a fine thing.

As I write this the ground is bone dry. It has barely rained for a month, was a dry spring and an exceptionally dry winter. The streams are running dry and plants are digging into reserves that should be stored for much later in the year.

I realise that this is all relative. Should you be reading this in Australia, say, or South Africa, you might be entitled to an ironic smile at what we laughingly call a drought. In the greater scheme of things Britain has never been truly short of water. But gardeners are sensitive souls, or should be. The variations and fluctuations of weather affect us minutely and climate change is the giant elephant in the back garden that none of us know how to deal with – not least because none of us are sure how it is changing and what effects it is having in the garden. Give us another 100 years and we may be in a position to asses the situation.

Climate change is the giant elephant in the back garden

PHOTO: MARSHA ARNOLD

But I do not have 100 years. If I am still around and able to garden in 20 years’ time I will be happy. I (and arguably everyone alive) need to engage with the issues that climate change is raising today, not in a 100 or even 20 years.

There is nothing noble or virtue-seeking about this. I am not trying to save the planet. Apart from being slightly beyond my remit, the planet will do just fine although we humans might be in a pickle. No, I am thinking for the moment only about my garden.

Which is why I took apart the Dry Garden earlier this spring, and before replanting the things that were being submerged and swamped, like the irises, knautia, sedums, euphorbias and tulbaghia, I added stones.

Big ones. Just over two years ago, I was offered a pile of big ‘Old Red Sandstone’ building stones.

They were said to have once formed a stone bridge but when I went to see them, they were an amorphous heap, mostly hidden by brambles and nettles. However, I could see that there

were large and interesting stones, the price was very reasonable and thoughts of a stone folly in the garden danced irresistibly before me.

Then the pandemic came along and they sat, uncollected, going nowhere. However, my son and I eventually went over earlier this spring and loaded his pick-up truck with the ones we could (just) physically move, grunting and heaving with a sack truck and ropes. These are now ensconced as part of the Dry Garden and I have replanted around them.

The idea of using stone came really from my visits to Greek gardens. The dryness they have to cope with is twice anything we might conceive here in wet Herefordshire, and yet the combination of stone walls and the fallen stones from old buildings with plants growing among them is very beautiful. My thoughts were to use the atypical dryness and sunniness of the site to double down on Mediterranean planting.

There is more stone to come, hidden everdeeper under the brambles, and I could have another pass, building up a little. However, they are as heavy as I can possibly manage and without some kind of crane or hoist, it is almost impossible to get them into position without trashing all the planting. By and large it is always better to complete all heavy-duty landscaping before beginning any planting.

I could perhaps sift through the heap to find smaller stones, but most are pretty big. And there is something monumental and powerful about large objects in a garden – especially if made from natural materials like stone or wood.

They become sculptural without deliberately being so and open out different ways of planting and of looking at plants.

Is it now a rockery? If so, then it has become one by accident. But maybe I have stumbled upon the beginnings of one, a kind of postmodern, deconstructed version where the stone has tumbled and fallen asunder, but which still dominates both the appearance and the style of planting. Who knows? Sometimes you end up where you are meant to be by heading off in a different direction altogether.

MONTY ON TV Catch Monty and the rest of the Gardeners’ World team on Friday evenings (Thursday 7 and 24 July) – check TV listings for times. And hear him discuss growing your own food and other topics at GardenersWorld.com/podcast July 2022

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17

Have your say

The view from

your side of the fence

Caught on camera

HOT TOPIC

Mind, body and soil Post Covid-19, one of the first things I did was sign up for one of Myerscough College’s gardening courses. I am a single mum with three young boys and I had been very ill. Just doing the course for three hours a week helped me become more positive and more attuned to nature.

I have suffered greatly with both my physical and mental health over the years, and always found gardening therapeutic. Watching plants grow, seeing the fruits of my labour and observing the seasons change are just some of the joys, and my boys have become more interested in gardening.

Now, two years later, I have completed the City and Guilds Level 1 and 2 Diplomas and have been accepted for an RHS course, to begin in September.

I have also been gardening with my local church, and it has been an exciting adventure for us. We’ve been working with Faiths4Change to produce seasonal fruit and veg, which we donate to a food bank for asylum seekers in Liverpool.

Mari-Anne Valkass, Liverpool

Growing your own fruit and veg provides many physical and mental health benefits

Watching the Gardeners’ World special programme on indoor plants with Nick and Frances, I was moved by the clip of Jason and the plants he grows on the balcony of his high-rise apartment. He seemed so happy.

I just want Jason to know that I empathise with him and commend his bravery in sharing his feelings about depression. My small garden always lifts my spirits. I have 209 plants, mainly in pots. Like many others, I battle with depression at times, and always find solace and joy in my garden.

Jayne Morgan, by email

I had long wanted a wildlife camera to see what visited my garden at night and with a February birthday, your feature on wildlife cameras (February issue) was ideally timed. It’s been a great present and has provided footage of the fox I suspected had been visiting. I was delighted to find we had three hedgehog visitors every night.

I didn’t specifically feed them, but they love the leftover mealworms I put out for the birds.

I followed Kate Bradbury’s tips – pesticidefree gardening, having a small pond, growing wildlife-friendly shrubs and providing wildlife access to the garden – and this has enhanced my whole gardening experience.

Elliot Lane, West Yorkshire

The kids are alright I enjoy seeing viewers’ gardens on Gardeners’ World, especially the enthusiasm of the children.

It would be great to see this in the magazine too – maybe dedicating a page, including snaps, would encourage more youngsters to pick up a fork and trowel? My garden bursts with far more vigour than me these days, but it’s good to know the younger generation is taking up the gauntlet to keep our gardens green and productive.

Pippa Gawthorpe, South Yorkshire We say See our Family Gardening Special on p52.

A moat for molluscs

Nurturing nurseries

I would like to share an idea on how to control slugs and snails without harming them or the animals that eat them. Many years ago, I made a moat out of guttering and placed it around my veg crops. It was a delight to see the snails perched on the outer rim, straining their heads out of their shells, sensing the tasty tender shoots and leaves on the other side, but unable to swim across.

Some years later, my brother did the same (see right). Apart from levelling the ground, it couldn’t have been simpler or more satisfying.

Ben Hooke, by email

In the May issue, I read with interest the concern about whether small nurseries have the capacity to manage changes. The answer is yes if enough people support them.

I visit a local nurseryman who sells plants and soil. He uses and sells only peat-free compost, and this year he plans to sell it loose so customers can refill their own bags. Many of the plants are grown from cuttings rather than buying in, and if you return the pots, he re-uses them. The more people that seek out and support these traditional nurseries, the better.

Diane Cooper, Buckinghamshire

Reuse guttering to keep snails off your veg

Write to us at

Have your say, Gardeners’ World Magazine, Vineyard House, 44 Brook Green, London W6 7BT or email letters@gardenersworld.com and you could win a prize. Letters or emails submitted may be edited for publication. Prizes sent to UK addresses only.

ACROSS 1 Cucumbers 7 Eden 8 Pin 9 Lad 10 Reseda 12 Larch 13 Stamens 16 Apache 18 Armeria 19 Yarrow 21 Night 22 Drumhead 23 Satin DOWN 1 Capillary 2 Cinerea 3 Mulch 4 End Rot 5 Sets 6 Seed 11 Eyebright 13 Seaweed 14 Almonds 15 Spartan 17 Corymb 20 Acre

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July 2022

We

July

Ruff around the edges I enjoyed The Full Monty in the March issue. It’s good to know that I am not the only gardener struggling with a fourlegged ‘pest’. Monty, my Bernese Mountain Dog (named after… you guessed it!), enjoys my borders as much as I do.

I often find random things buried in them and have lost a few plants from having been repeatedly sat on.

Naturally, his favourite area is the veg patch, because that’s where the food is and we have learned the hard way y not to put a veg-filled basket on the ground.

Miranda Miller (and Monty), by email

Stay Staysafe safethis this springwith withaa spring Henchman Henchman TripodLadder Ladder Tripod

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What’s in a name?

5 YEAR 5 YEAR

I thought that Alan had read my mind when he wrote about names (Tales from Titchmarsh, May issue). Names to me are so important, as they give plants more of a personality and many of the plants I have in my garden have a personal link.

After receiving a devastating health diagnosis, my dear mum took me to our local garden centre (my favourite place) for some plant therapy. When choosing the plants and seeds, I used my ‘horse-race system’, the same one I use for the Grand National. For the plants, I selected the aptly named clematis ‘Tranquillity’, rose ‘Lovely Lady’ for a friend’s special birthday and viola ‘Rebecca’ (below), my sister’s name. For the seeds, I chose sweet peas ‘Wuthering Heights’, after my favourite book, and ‘Berry Kiss’, the lipstick mentioned in the film The Holiday, which I knew my daughter would appreciate.

Every year, I always try to add the gorgeous viola ‘Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow’ to my pots.

It is such a poignant name, not only for me but also for everyone at this time.

Alison Sharman, Berkshire

VIOLA PHOTO: SARAH CUTTLE

This month’s prizes Each winner will receive two Gardeners’ World Guide 132-page special editions worth £16.98, delivered to their home.

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RHS MALVERN SPRING FESTIVAL OR

RHS CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW July 2022

Clippings Caterpillar threat for pine trees

Our roundup of the month’s latest gardening news and views

Gardeners can save pollinators The Government is calling on gardeners to help stop the decline in pollinating insects.

Environment Minister, Rebecca Pow, told GW a key aim is to join up different habitats – and our gardens have an important role.

“There are a million hectares of land in our gardens, and gardeners can provide corridors between our gardens and the wider landscape.”

She suggests growing nectar-rich flowers and letting grass grow long.

But charity Buglife says flying insect populations have already crashed by almost 60 per cent in 20 years, and more action is needed. “We need actions both big and small to help stop this devastating trend, before it’s too late,” said spokesperson Jamie Robins.

Hunt for missing GW episodes The white, silken nests that pine processionary moths build in January are a clear sign of trouble

There have been new calls for stricter import controls on trees, after the discovery of potentially devastating pine processionary moth on a shipment of pine trees from France.

While the species is not yet established in the UK, if it gets a foothold it could spell disaster for the country’s pines – including our only native, the Scots pine. As with its close relative, oak processionary moth – now well entrenched in London and the South East – the caterpillar stage has fine hairs that can cause painful rashes.

The infected trees have now been destroyed, and the Government has ended imports of pine and cedar trees from France and Italy. But the Woodland Trust says the interception is a stark reminder of the risks of importing trees. The Trust’s tree health and invasive species Policy Lead, Alisha Anstee, wants the Government to invest in UK tree nurseries instead, so we don’t have to import trees from overseas.

“Current policy isn’t working,” she says.

The Trust says UK trees now face at least 20 serious new pests and diseases from overseas.

There is a hope, though: native predators are getting a taste for exotic prey. Two types of parasitoid insect have now been discovered on box moth caterpillars, native to East Asia but now common in the UK. Birds, ants and spiders have also been seen attacking the caterpillars.

Andrew Salisbury, Principal Entomologist for the RHS, says the balance is starting to tip.

“We will begin to see much less damage as natural predators begin to pick up on it,” he says. “Hopefully that will happen before we lose too much of our box.”

Tony Kirkham, who ran Kew’s arboretum until his retirement last year, wants all trees arriving in the country held in closely monitored quarantine for at least a year before planting.

“Once a tree goes into the landscape we walk away from it,” he told GW’s Growing Greener podcast. “If there’s a pest or disease on it, it’s too late.”

L Visit GardenersWorld.com/podcast to listen to our podcast with tree expert Tony Kirkham. To report tree pests or diseases, go to treealert.forestresearch.gov.uk

GW fans could help replace lost TV history as the hunt begins for dozens of missing episodes. Only a handful of recordings survive of shows made by presenters Percy Thrower, Clay Jones, Arthur Billit and Peter Seabrook.

TV historian Chris Perry, of recovery specialists Kaleidoscope, is calling on viewers to search their stash of old recordings. “These programmes represent the reality of what life was really like in the 1970s,” he says.

L Found a lost episode? Email Chris Perry at info@tvbrain.info

WORDS: SALLY NEX

Once a tree goes into the landscape, we walk away from it

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Percy Thrower presented Gardeners’ World from 1968 to the mid 1970s

July 2022

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July

Compost: look, no plastic bag Hard-to-recycle plastic compost sacks could be history after the launch of potting compost packed in cardboard boxes instead. Fertile Fibre’s Plastic Free DIY Compost arrives as a coir block, plus paper bag of nutrients: to turn into compost, just add water. Business Development Manager, Sam Dent, says he wanted a radically different solution to plastic pollution, and hopes it will catch on.

“We positively encourage people to imitate the idea,” he says. L Find out more at fertilefibre.com

Ancient trees honour Queen Seventy ancient trees have been dedicated to the Queen for the Platinum Jubilee. This includes the Crom Yew in Northern Ireland (pictured) which is actually two trees, the eldest being an estimated 800 years old. L queensgreencanopy.org

With no water, Fertile Fibre’s Plastic Free DIY Compost is easy to carry from the front door to the garden

Boost for community gardens Community gardens across England and Wales are sharing a pot of almost £200,000 after the National Garden Scheme gave awards to 75 projects, from food banks and community orchards to projects prescribing gardening for health at GP surgeries.

Entries for next year’s NGS Community Gardens Award open in October. ngs.org.uk

PHOTOS: MAX BLAKE; GETTY/ANDI EDWARDS/RADIO TIMES; AMANDA MCCONNELL; KEITH MCMAHON (GREAT TIT STUDY, WYTHAM WOODS); CHARLES SAINSBURY-PLAICE/ADRIAN HOUSTON

Earlier springs impact UK bird life Scientists have confirmed what gardeners have suspected for a while: spring is now arriving up to three weeks earlier.

Beginning in 1947, a decades-long study of great tits in an Oxfordshire woodland recorded that year’s first egg as being laid on 27 April.

This year, birds began laying nearly a month sooner.

But Dr Ella Cole of Oxford University, who runs the study, says caterpillars are also emerging earlier – so there’s still food for hatchlings.

“Great tits in the UK are adjusting well to July 2022

climate change, but we don’t yet know what their limits are,” she says.

There’s also evidence climate change is affecting migration. Survey BirdTrack has shown that some swallows gave up their usual 6,000-mile migration to South Africa this winter and stayed in the UK, instead.

RSPB wildlife gardening expert, Adrian Thomas, says that small actions, like mixing water and soil into mud pies during heatwaves to help house martins build nests, can help.

“Birds can adapt,” he says. “Everything we do that can help is a win-win.”

The project at Whytham Woods, Oxfordshire is one of the world’s longest-running animal population studies

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July

News in brief My gardening world

Deborah Meaden

Businesswoman Deborah Meaden has been a famously tough-but-kind Dragon on BBC2’s Dragon’s Den since 2006. She is outspoken about business and the environment: her new series of The Big Green Money Show begins this month on BBC Radio 5 Live. She lives in an 18th Century farmhouse on the Somerset Levels with her husband, Paul.

Which wild creatures do you love to see most in your garden?

We’re so lucky. When we first came here we had one swallow sitting on a wire – now we have swallows, swifts, house martins and owls. We even have the occasional otter visit us. We have a pond outside our back door and the otter comes up to the reeds: it’s not frightened of us at all. It eats all of our fish.

And there’s a kingfisher – I’d never seen a kingfisher in my life. We walked out of the back door and there was a kingfisher, actually on our pond. It moved me to tears.

Are you a keen gardener?

I’m not at all green-fingered, but I’ll have a go. I’m actually quite good at weeding! I’ve learned to not get quite so stressed out about

GLASSHOUSES SAVED Two Victorian glasshouses at risk of ‘catastrophic failure’ are safe again after the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh was awarded £4 million by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. rbge.org.uk Deborah Meaden has turned much of her garden in Somerset over to nature

weeds. We’ve got a very big vegetable patch and it used to be pristine. Now, we’re more of the view that they’re not doing any harm, as long as they don’t affect the crop.

Does your garden help you get through your busy working life?

I start every day – rain, shine, ice or snow – getting a cup of tea in my hand and wandering around the garden. I do that religiously because it makes me a better person. It connects me with the world and gives me a moment of peace to get my mind together and to breathe some fresh air.

Having come through lockdown, what I really appreciated was the rhythm that gardening and nature give you. In a world where everything felt like it had stood still, the flowers still came up in spring, and the birds still sang.

L Listen to our podcast with Deborah discussing wildlife gardening, at GardenersWorld.com/podcast

Garden for Grenfell The site where the ruins of Grenfell Tower in West London now stand could become a memorial garden. The Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission surveyed survivors, bereaved families and local residents, and found 64 per cent wanted a garden as a lasting tribute to the 72 people who died in the 2017 fire.

2 MOON GARDENING Growing crops on the moon may have moved a step closer to reality as scientists persuaded thale cress to germinate in lunar soil. bit.ly/moon-crops

3 FORCES OF WEEVIL South American weevils have been released on UK waterways to help fight against invasive floating pennywort weeds. bit.ly/wonder-weevil

4 DOING THE CHARLESTON Gardening legends such as Great Dixter Head Gardener, Fergus Garrett, are headlining the Charleston Festival of the Garden, near Brighton, 14-17 July. charleston.org.uk

Could you be a Collection holder?

A final decision on the Grenfell Tower site will be made in 2023

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Charity Plant Heritage is calling on gardeners to help protect plants, such as campanula and spirea, that aren’t protected by a National Collection, and are therefore at risk of losing varieties. Amateur gardener Jonathan Sheppard started his hollyhock National Collection two years ago, and since then has appeared on Gardeners’ World. “Anyone can be a National Collection holder,” says Plant Campanula Heritage Conservation Manager, Vicki Cooke. persicifolia L Find out more at plantheritage.org.uk

5 SEEDY SUCCESS A new kind of ‘sprouter’ – a receptacle for sprouting seeds – has won pupils at a Cambridge secondary school a Design Museum award. It’s on sale at the museum shop from autumn. designmuseumshop.com

July 2022

PHOTOS: CABI; GETTY/ANADOLU AGENCY/TOLGA AKMEN; PLANT HERITAGE

So, what’s your garden like?

We bought an old farmhouse that had virtually no garden, and all we’ve really done is allow it to become itself again.

Around the house it’s quite formal, then beyond that it’s very natural. We love birds, we love wildlife, and you don’t move to the country to then make it sterile, so that creatures can’t live in it.

1

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Be inspired by the

Lake District with our 2 for 1 Entry Card and Guide Explore the scenery that inspired the great Romantic poets and artists and discover hidden gems nestled among the fells

Summer spectacle There is no better time to visit the Lakes than in high summer.

Although famous for having some of the wettest weather in the UK, a Lakeland summer is not to be missed. At Brantwood Gardens you can explore the gardens of Victorian art critic and social reformer John Ruskin. Much like the artist JMW Turner, Ruskin fell in love with the sublime Lakeland scenery, and his gardens reflect this passion and the historical significance of plants in British culture. Take the Steam Yacht Gondola across Coniston Water to arrive in true Victorian style.

2 for 1 entry £7. Open 16 Marend Nov, daily. Full details at brantwood.org.uk

One of 38 National Trust properties in our Guide, Sizergh Castle offers a great family day out. As well as its richly planted landscaped garden, mirror lake and kitchen garden, it also provides a range of activities for all ages. The Scallop Trail in the house allows younger visitors to trace the history of Sizergh in a fun and interactive way. Kids can also test their agility on the Wild Play Trail. Keep a look out in summer for the many butterflies and other wildlife that thrive on the estate.

2 for 1 entry £13 house & garden, £9 garden. Open All year, daily (house until 30 Oct, Wed-Sun). Full details at nationaltrust.org.uk 24

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July 2022

PHOTOS: HISTORIC ENGLAND/ENGLISH HERITAGE TRUST/NICK DAWE; LOWTHER CASTLE/TONY RUMSEY MBE; NATIONAL TRUST/JAMES DOBSON; JUDY THOMAS

Family favourite

2 for 1 garden entry

Quite the cache!

Ever tried geocaching? At Acorn Bank you can explore the parkland using a GPS app and discover hidden treasure!

Track down the six concealed containers (or caches) and be surprised by the trinkets inside – if you take one, just leave your own little prize for the next person to find. The gardens themselves offer colourful borders, orchards and a herb garden with over 250 varieties of medicinal and culinary plants.

2 for 1 entry £9. Open 14 Mar4 Sep, daily, then 5 Sep-30 Oct, Thu-Mon. Full details at nationaltrust.org.uk

A sleeping beauty For half a century Lowther Castle lay in ruins. It was only in 2008 that it was given a new lease of life, its gardens transformed by renowned designer Dan Pearson. The Gardenin-the-Ruins offers naturalistic planting that pays homage to the castle’s history. The latest addition is a rose garden in the shape of an English rose and inspired by the tale of Sleeping Beauty – it’s an apt tribute to the many years that the castle’s beauty remained dormant.

2 for 1 entry £12. Open All year, daily. Card not valid on event days, check before visiting. Full details at lowthercastle.org

Food for thought Levens Hall is most famous for having the oldest topiary garden in the world. It also offers a delicious selection of food and drink. The kitchen café is worth a visit in itself, with its ‘estate to plate’ approach and seasonally inspired menu.

Work up an appetite by exploring the amazing topiary, along with elegant rose and fountain gardens, a willow labyrinth and a wilderness.

2 for 1 entry £10.50 (plus £4 per person for house). Open 3 Apr6 Oct, Sun-Thu. Full details at levenshall.co.uk

Register for our 2 for 1 newsletter at

GardenersWorld.com/gardens

for more garden recommendations and updates  Use your 2 for 1 Entry Card from the May issue to visit gardens listed in the guide and in our directory  Missed the May issue or need additional 2 for 1 cards? You can buy copies of the May issue at GardenersWorld.com/gardens

Picnic with a poet Walk in the footsteps of the most famous Lakeland poet, William Wordsworth. At Rydal Mount & Gardens you can visit the poet’s idyllic home – a part of the Lakes he once described as “the loveliest spot that man hath ever found”.

With breath-taking views of Rydal Water and Windermere, it’s easy

to see where he got his inspiration.

There is even a picnic spot where you can enjoy the beauty of this wild and romantic informal garden.

2 for 1 entry £12.50 house & garden, £6 garden. Open All year except Jan, daily. Card not valid on event days – check before visiting.

Full details at rydalmount.co.uk

Before you set off Always check the garden’s website and the 2 for 1 Guide before visiting, as the card may not be valid on specific days and/or booking may be required. Note: 2 for 1 only available on Adult tickets.  Share images of your best garden visits using the hashtag #GW2for1

NEXT MONTH Explore the fabulous gardens of Cornwall – the ideal destination for a summer break July 2022

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Monty’s summer

veg patch PART 2

THE BEST OF SUMMER HARVESTS

Now’s N ow w’s th the he ttime ime tto oe enjoy njoy an abu abundance undanc ce off d o delicious elicious ho homegrown omegrown veg, veg, ffruit ruit and d herbs. herbs.

Monty M onty share shares es hi his is favourite favo ourite c crops rops off tthe he month, month, plus p lus ti tips ips on nh how ow to to b boost oost y your our h harvests arv vests

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GardenersWorld.com

July 2022

monty’s garden

Monty gathers huge lush bunches of flat-leaved parsley to use liberally – in a totally different league to small straggly shop-bought herbs

July 2022

GardenersWorld.com

PHOTO: O O : JASON SO INGRAM G

Beans, peas, the first tomatoes and salads all tumble from garden to kitchen with increasing rapidity.

Supermarket shopping seems a dreary process in comparison

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I

love July most for its harvests.

These days, an allotment or a vegetable patch in the back garden is the nearest that most of us get to experiencing a harvest. But it remains a magical word, bringing with it all the resonance of fulfilment and completion.

Around the time of my birthday, at the beginning of July, our summer vegetable harvests begin. The first is new potatoes, which emerge white and gleaming from the soil, almost blinking in the sunlight.

No potatoes ever taste as good as this first, shy crop of the year.

Next comes the garlic crop that has been growing since October. I harvest ours when the leaves start to fade, lifting them carefully with a fork so as not to damage the necks, and dry them in the sun for a few weeks to store until the following spring.

Then beans, peas, the first tomatoes and the salad crops all tumble from garden to kitchen with increasing rapidity.

Supermarket shopping seems like a dreary process in comparison. It goes without saying that all this homegrown bounty tastes best eaten in the garden on warm July evenings as the light gently fades.

Three star veg to harvest

Parsley I principally grow flat-leaved parsley, which I think has a better flavour and texture.

Curly leaved parsley was the only type I ever came across until the 1980s, used as a garnish or in a sauce to accompany gammon – and is good and decorative. But the flat-leaved kind, used liberally with vegetables, stews, soups, in salads and in delicious walnut pesto, is magnificent.

The first potatoes On some birthdays I can hold the harvest of conker-sized spuds in one hand, while on others they are like an overblown maincrop, several weeks past the perfect egg size. Regardless of this, they get taken indoors, cooked immediately and relished just like asparagus or the first peas.

And they should be viewed in this light: a treat that, by definition, cannot be replicated out of season without betraying the whole ethos of such treats. This is right at the core of the pleasure of growing your own. It is the real thing and there is nothing between you and the experience, no one promising year-round satisfaction, packaging and selling it to you as The New Potato Experience or A Taste Sensation. Grow some spuds and plug in directly, full power.

The whole point of first and second earlies is not that it gives you a summer supply of spuds, because these are easily and cheaply bought, but it is their texture, taste and, above all, sweetness. The sugars in a potato fresh from the ground are more intense – and, if you cook and eat them as soon as possible after harvesting, there is an appreciable difference from anything that is transported. New potatoes should be dug fresh for a meal, with each harvest cooked in its entirety, because cold left-overs are almost as good as those served hot.

If you have missed this year’s new potato boat – and how about that for an image struggling to float – do not despair. You can provide yourself with new potatoes for Christmas by planting a few first or 30

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Courgettes The great advantage of growing these yourself is that you can harvest when they are very small and the skins very thin. Mass production tends to favour more robust types, to avoid damage in transit. However, varieties such as ‘Ronde de Nice’, yellow ‘Gold Rush’ and near-black ‘Verte de Milan’ (or ‘Verdi di Milano’) are nutty, delicious and need no robustness for their journey from veg plot to kitchen.

monty’s garden

Boost your tomatoes July is when greenhouse tomatoes put on the most growth and set the most fruit. Ripening can be very variable, but in most years we start to harvest by the end of the month.

I keep a constant watch on the ventilation and temperature in the greenhouse. Both are controlled only by opening and closing the doors and windows. Tomatoes grow best when the temperature is even. Steady, slightly cooler conditions are preferable to great fluctuations between day and night,

which cause the leaves to curl inwards.

I tie the growing stems to their supports weekly, pinching out all the sideshoots as I go. All tomatoes develop shoots growing diagonally between the stem and leaves.

These sideshoots will form fruit, but have more vigour than the purely lateral fruit trusses, so they tend to take a large share of the plant’s goodness if left unchecked.

By pinching them out as they appear, you concentrate the plant’s energy into producing the maximum amount of fruit.

I then give the plants a really good soak.

It is important to water regularly to keep the moisture steady and not let the plants dry out too much. But by the end of the month, as the fruits grow and start to ripen, I reduce the watering. I don’t want the sugars in the fruits to be too diluted, as this would result in big but insipid-tasting tomatoes.

If the weather is wet and warm, the major worry is blight. Not enough ventilation and the plants stay too moist and foster the fungus. Too much ventilation and the plants

We often pick a bowl of raspberries just before supper and eat with a little cream while they are still warm from the evening sun. Heaven!

Carrots We pull young carrots whenever we need them, as a form of thinning, then let the rest grow unimpeded.

The earliest crops are best, from ‘Amsterdam’-type varieties with narrow, cylindrical roots and smooth skins. ‘Nantes’ are generally bigger and can be grown both as earlies and maincrops. ‘Chantenay’, ‘Berlicum’ and ‘Autumn King’ are best as maincrops, for big roots in autumn.

become stressed and more susceptible to blight, while the airborne spores are more likely to get into the greenhouse through open windows and doors.

Summer fruit I would trade the very best strawberry for any raspberries, and summer-fruiting varieties are at their best in July. I grow three summer varieties: ‘Malling Jewel’, an old-fashioned variety with large fruits and more modest growth, ‘Glen Ample’, and ‘Glen Moy’, which has smaller but more abundant fruits and few prickles.

Summer-fruiting raspberries carry their fruit on the canes that grew the previous summer, so all the fresh growth made in the current year will crop next July.

Autumn-fruiting types such as ‘Autumn Bliss’, by contrast, produce their fruit on the new season’s growth.

There is a freshness and seasonal treat to the summer raspberries that makes them especially good. We often pick a bowl just before supper and eat with a little cream while they are still warm from the evening sun. Heaven!

Make space for herbs We British, rightly, make a lot of fuss about growing vegetables, exhorting as many people as possible to do so. But we rarely

Quick jobs for a better harvest

 Pick annual herbs regularly to keep them bushy and delay flowering

 Harvest strawberries just before eating – don’t refrigerate them

 Weed between onions to give the crop the best growing conditions

 Feed and mulch rhubarb now that harvesting is over

 Sow salad leaves in gaps where new potatoes have been harvested

 Water early in the morning, so plants don’t spend the day parched

Snip young shoot tips from herbs for the best flavour and to keep plants bushy

July 2022

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PHOTOS: MARSHA ARNOLD; JASON INGRAM

second early tubers this month in a large pot or tub. Use a peat-free potting compost, add some grit and a generous amount of garden compost. Allow three seed potatoes per pot and place on a 15cm layer of compost. As the foliage grows, top up the compost to cover it until it fills the pot.

Water regularly and generously, especially when in flower, and bring under cover when there’s a hint of frost. And wait till Christmas morning to relish the best of their sweetness!

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monty’s garden

Six essential herbs to grow Grow these productive herbs in quantity to enhance your kitchen garden and flavour your cooking all summer. Choose a mix of woody herbs such as rosemary and thyme, which will give you year-round pickings, and annual herbs such as basil and parsley for adding to summer dishes.

 ROSEMARY Grow from cuttings taken in summer Pick leaves and flowering shoots

 THYME Grow from divisions or from seed Pick sprigs throughout the growing season

 BASIL Grow from seed sown indoors in spring Pick the tips of shoots to keep plants bushy

 CHIVES Grow from seed in spring or divide in autumn Pick leaves and flowering stems at the base

make the same effort to get more people growing herbs. Which is odd. Herbs are vital. A small selection of fresh herbs is essential for any kind of cooking and that small selection can be grown in almost any situation, from a window box or pots at the back door to a full-throated, bootedand-suited herb garden. I feel that we British take herbs for granted, growing a bit of mint, some rosemary, perhaps a sage bush, lavender and thyme, maybe a bay tree for its clipped, decorative effect.

Nothing uncommon in this, but we grow by the by, without the enthusiasm we show for vegetables.

Rosemary, thyme, sage and oregano thrive on endless sunshine with low nutrients and very sharp drainage. So the first rule is find the sunniest spot in your garden and give it to them. Ideally, this is right outside the back door so you can nip outside and grab a handful of herbs as part of cooking. But they absolutely must have sun, and if that is at the far end of the garden then so be it. Instead of nipping outside it is a brisk march.

Basil always responds to really rich soil and plenty of moisture. It makes large plants if growing happily – a world away from the etiolated affairs you buy to put on a windowsill. We use a lot of basil – mainly to make pesto, which freezes very well. All fresh tomato is improved with basil leaves in season.

‘Lots’ is an important word when growing your own herbs. Quality is good, but quality in quantity is best. One of my bugbears in life is the parsimony with which herbs are treated – all those spindly little plants in plastic pots masquerading as parsley or basil. You must be generous with herbs, both in the number of plants you grow and the amount harvested.

Given that almost all herbs grow easily from seed or cuttings, this is cheap and easy to achieve. It depends on a state of mind rather than the state of your bank balance. 

Monty on TV

PHOTOS: MARSHA ARNOLD; JASON INGRAM

Gardeners’ World airs on Friday 1 & 29 July and Thursday 7 & 21 July – times vary, see TV listings.

HEAR Monty  SAGE Grow from cuttings or spring-sown seeds Pick the tips of shoots before flowering

 OREGANO Grow from softwood cuttings or divisions Pick leaves throughout the growing season

discuss how to start a vegetable garden that produces crops all year long at Gardeners World.com/podcast

NEXT MONTH Monty looks at how to keep on top of bountiful harvests and get ahead on winter crops 32

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July 2022

Keep the legends alive

Ancient trees are living legends, wildlife havens and carbon stores.

But most have no legal protection.

Help keep them safe as a member of the Woodland Trust.

woodlandtrust.org.uk/join The Woodland Trust is a registered charity, numbers 294355 and SC038885.

The Woodland Trust logo is a registered trademark. Photo: Phanie/Alamy. CP00519 GW 05/22

PLANTS WITH

PURPOSE

Part 5: Perennials

Long-lived and easy, perennials fill our gardens with colour.

Carol Klein explains why she loves them and how to grow them

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Astrantia major ‘Star of Royals’ thrives in light shade or sun, producing pink-tinged pincushion flowers from early summer. Cut it back after flowering and it will often produce a second flush.

Height x Spread 50cm x 50cm Flowers Jun-Sep

July 2022

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PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE

plants with purpose

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I love perennial plants. I love the way they develop through the seasons, making garden life exciting at every twist and turn – every day new pictures unfold as shoots lengthen, buds swell and flowers open. They offer beautiful foliage, seedheads and often autumn colour too. It’s the way they change with the seasons that is so endearing and although the great majority are herbaceous, disappearing over winter, when they reappear they make up for lost time, filling our gardens with colour and perfume.

Of all the plants we can grow, perennials are the ones you can have most fun with.

They are plants that collaborate, that mix and mingle, that complement each other, sometimes by contrast, sometimes in harmony. They give us a real opportunity to be creative and express ourselves.

Few garden perennials are fusspots – most are accommodating, easy-going and troublefree. More importantly, they’re richly diverse, infinitely interesting and eminently beautiful.

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP L Dahlia ‘American Dawn’ Height x Spread 90m x 60cm Flowers Jul-Sep

L Agapanthus ‘Blue Moon’ H x S 1.2m x 50cm F Aug-Sep

L Euphorbia polychroma H x S 40cm x 50cm F Apr-May

that ideas of what is and is not hardy may need to be reassessed. Some South African crocosmias and agapanthus, for example, which were once treated as being on the edge of hardiness and perhaps in need of winter protection, may now be considered hardy.

My main focus in this article is on hardy perennials, although ‘perennials’ is a bit of an umbrella term that can include half-hardy and tender plants, which, given protection, will bloom year after year. Dahlias, pelargoniums and fuchsias fall into this category.

Growing perennials is hugely exciting and is even more enjoyable when you propagate your own plants. Unless a perennial is a sterile hybrid, it will almost certainly set seed. I just love collecting my own seeds and helping a new generation to come into existence.

Of course deadheading (see panel, opposite) isn’t a good idea if you want to collect your own

seeds or allow plants to self-sow. Astrantias obligingly throw their seeds around readily, but if plants are very special then we collect and sow the seeds ourselves.

With most plants whose flowering stems are finished and there are no more buds to open, the stems should be cut down to ground level, allowing basal foliage to gather strength. But some should only be cut if necessary – the flowers of pulmonarias, for example, finished long ago, but if their leaves are looking jaded it’s worth shearing them down, and within weeks they’ll have made fresh foliage. If you have the time and patience, it’s worth removing individual spent flowers from phlox, so they look pristine for longer. And, call me pernickety, but when I have time, I remove the spent petals from agapanthus, to show off their seedheads, which are so structural and often imbued with blue.

all the plants we can grow, perennials are the ones you can have most “funOfwith – they give us an opportunity to be creative and express ourselves ”

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July 2022

PHOTOS: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX PAUL DEBOIS; JASON INGRAM

The great majority of plants here at Glebe Cottage are perennials. What’s more, they illustrate the versatility of perennial plants, as they grow in every situation here. Within the bounds of our garden we have a wide range of different conditions, from dry shade to damp and boggy, to sunny, exposed and well drained.

And in every area we rely on perennials to form the major constituents of our planting. Yes we have trees and shrubs, we use bulbs widely and we supplement with annuals and biennials, but it’s perennials that play the major role.

What is a perennial? As the name indicates, it’s a plant that persists, that endures. Most of those we grow in our gardens are herbaceous perennials, which simply means that as autumn progresses their top growth gradually fades and they disappear under ground for the winter.

They don’t die after flowering and setting seed, like annuals and biennials do. No, perennials repeat the same cycle year on year, shooting up from the soil in spring, flowering, setting seed and then retreating for the winter. But they don’t stay the same size – although their character is pre-ordained, most increase in stature each year. This means that every so often we need to dig them up, both to make more (perennials are the easiest plants to increase by division) and to rejuvenate the clump, discarding the old woody middle and replanting the smaller vigorous outer sections.

My favourite perennials are hardy – they or their forebears originate either close to home or in regions that resemble our own in terms of climate and conditions. Although that is not always cut and dried – climate change means

plants with purpose There are perennials for every garden situation – partial shade is perfect for spring-flowering Mount Cook buttercups (Ranunculus lyallii)

Surefire success with perennials When to plant There are two periods when planting is most successful. But the fact that almost all perennials are now sold in containers makes planting possible at any time of year. Traditionally, spring was thought of as the best time to plant – the soil is beginning to warm and both temperature and day length are on the increase, so plants can get on with pushing their roots out into the soil and this is the season when they would begin to grow away. But autumn too can offer ideal conditions for planting, as long as the soil is still warm and preferably moist. If a perennial is an early bird, a euphorbia perhaps or a spring-flowering ranunculus or pulmonaria, then autumn planting is ideal. But the roots of grasses tend to stop growing during winter (just think of a lawn), so it’s best to plant or divide them in spring.

How to care for perennials Deadheading is essential – if you don’t do it, then plants such as perennial daisies will stop flowering, knowing that they’ve successfully set seed. Dahlias, cosmos and rudbeckias all belong to the daisy clan, Asteraceae.

Cutting back the stems to the next embryonic bud once the flowers have faded encourages the plant to invest its energy into opening those new buds, to flower again. Staking to support taller or potentially floppy perennials is worthwhile even if it’s an after-thought. Remove weeds before planting and ahead of any self-sown seeds germinating. Water perennials when necessary during dry spells, give them an occasional organic liquid feed, and apply mulch when the soil is damp.

July 2022

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plants with purpose

5 perennial plant must-haves 1 Rudbeckia fulgida deamii Great for adding late colour to borders, this rudbeckia flowers well into autumn. It forms clumps of bright yellow daisy flowers with raised black central cones.

It loves full sun and fertile soil.

Height x Spread 60cm x 45cm Flowers Aug-Oct

2 Selinum wallichianum Milk parsley combines strength and structure with delicate refinement. In spring it rises late, but once it gets up, it briskly spreads out its basal leaves to form a neat mat. Each flowerhead is a plateaux of tiny white florets.

H x S 120cm x 60cm F Jul-Sep

3 Rodgersia pinnata ‘Superba’ This is a magnificent and longlived perennial with bronze palmate leaves. Eventually the foliage becomes tough and

4 Phlox × arendsii ‘Luc’s Lilac’

leathery with a high gloss, and in autumn develops rich colour.

The pink flowers are borne in fluffy panicles.

H x S 1.2m x 1m F Jul-Aug

4 Phlox × arendsii ‘Luc’s Lilac’ Phlox are a splendid group of plants when in attendance at the late summer garden party. Their flowers are fragrant, especially in the evening. Unlike some phlox, this one never develops mildew.

H x S 1.2m x 50cm F Jul-Sep

5 Anchusa azurea ‘Loddon Royalist’

1 Rudbeckia fulgida deamii

Although short-lived, this will often last several years, especially in loamy, silty soil.

The blue of its flowers is scintillating. It looks brilliant alongside euphorbias, doronicums and the green spikes of molinia grass.

H x S 1m x 60cm F May-Jul

5 Anchusa azurea ‘Loddon Royalist’

Plant with: perennials a cat among the pigeons – a bright red among the greens – then you’ll startle and surprise.

Red and green are opposites, which our eyes find difficult to accept and try to compensate for, so they zing. Put soft pastels together and you’ll create a different mood, one of peace and quietude. Combining plants is one of the most absorbing aspects of gardening, one of the most creative and most enjoyable.

PHOTOS: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX PHOTOS: ALAMY/JAN SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY; PAUL DEBOIS; JASON INGRAM RUDBECKIA PHOTO LOCATION: RHS GARDEN WISLEY, SURREY

Dainty spires of red and white Persicaria amplexicaulis mingle harmoniously

What we plant with what decides the style and overall effect of our plots. Many gardeners find putting plants together the most difficult part of gardening. As with so many other areas of life, if we go into it believing there is a right and a wrong way of doing it, we’re liable to become inhibited and may not enjoy the process. But in gardening there are so many solutions to every quandary.

When considering plant combinations, we first need to choose plants that will flourish in the conditions we can give them.

They must also be able to live happily together where we intend to plant them.

The next major consideration when putting plants together is their colour. So much can be created and so much changed by using colour deliberately to establish a mood, a feeling that affects the viewer. When you put greens together, even if the form and texture of the leaves you incorporate vary enormously, you’re almost bound to create something that’s peaceful and harmonious overall. But if you put

Carol on TV Catch Carol on Gardeners’ World on Fri 1 & 29 July and Thurs 7 & 21 July – times vary, see TV listings.

WATCH our guide to saving money on perennials at GardenersWorld.com/ save-on-perennials

NEXT MONTH Follow Carol’s advice on her favourite trees and how to choose them for your garden 38

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July 2022 Month 2020

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“The hydrangea’s big blowsy cream flowers really sing out in the half-light”

Pots for summer impact PART 2

BEST FOR SHADE

Arit Anderson shares her pick of plants for a stand-out container display that’ll transform any shaded area into something special

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July 2022

Containers aren’t just for sunny patios – a large pot filled with shade-lovers will need less watering and look great all summer long

July 2022

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PHOTO: NEIL HEPWORTH LOCATION: CHARLES RUTHERFOORD & RUPERT TYLER, NGS.ORG.UK/51-THE-CHASE

summer pots

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summer pots Often we have a shady spot in the garden that gets neglected because we’re not quite sure how to brighten it up. This is where a container can work wonders. Not only can you experiment with plant combinations, but if you choose the right container then this once overlooked space can become a real focal point.

You need plants that will shine out from the shadows, and that’s why I chose to use Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’. This shrub gives you so much. Structure from the stems and big blowsy flowers that are cream with hints of lime, so they really sing out in the half-light.

It’s not just colour that can entice us in a garden, we can also attract attention using scent. The aromatic leaves of the nepeta – which will tolerate partial shade – and the heady evening fragrance released from the nicotiana will bring joy from the dappled depths.

How to plant up your pot

5 best plants for shade Many woodland plants love shade, as they grow naturally beneath trees.

They may rely more on foliage to make an impact but those with pale flowers really stand out. Choose plants that all like either damp or dry shade – as your pot can only be one or the other!

1 Hakonechloa macra An eye-catching Japanese grass with sweeping foliage. It will make a great focal point in any pot or a lower tier, cascading over the edges. Choose from green- or yellow-leaved forms.

Height x Spread 40cm x 45cm Flowering Aug-Sep

YOU WILL NEED: L Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’ L Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’ L Nicotiana ‘Merlin Lime Green’ L Peat-free multi-purpose compost L Terracotta pot, at least 40cm wide (we used Deroma Vaso Conico pot, 43cm, from £25, burford.co.uk)

2 Blechnum spicant This native fern has glossy fronds with feathery edges that provide year-round interest. It thrives in well-drained soil, in partial to full shade, and brings a luscious green hue to any pot.

H x S 50cm x 45cm

3 Omphalodes cappadocica ‘Cherry Ingram’

Half-fill your pot with peat-free compost, plus some garden soil and slow-release organic fertiliser.

The hydrangea is the biggest plant, so start with this. Tease out the roots and position it near the back, with its best side facing forward.

2

Add the smaller plants – the nicotiana complements the hydrangea’s colours, while the contrasting nepeta will make a mauve froth and tumble over the side. Add more compost if needed, so everything sits at the same level.

4 Anemone x hybrida ‘Lady Gilmour’ A tall perennial with slender stems topped with poppy-like pink, cupped blooms. Great for the flower vase too.

H x S 100cm x 60cm F Jul-Sep

5 Sarcococca hookeriana ‘Winter Gem’ A compact, evergreen shrub with glossy dark-green leaves.

Its small, spidery, white flowers open from red buds in winter and are highly fragrant. They’re followed by shiny red berries.

H x S 75cm x 75cm F Jan-Feb

3

Once you’re happy with the arrangement – here I’ve balanced it with a nepeta on each side and the nicotiana centrally at the front – fill any gaps between the rootballs with more compost.

Firm in gently, then water well.

offer

The cream and lime-green colours really stand out in a shady spot

Meet Arit at Highgrove

Join us on 20 September 2022 for an exclusive tour of Highgrove Gardens, with a talk by Arit Anderson and a delicious three-course dinner. Tickets cost £200. See page 76 for full details.

NEXT MONTH Arit designs a container filled with bold, summer colour 42

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July 2022

PHOTOS: ALAMY/MATTHEW TAYLOR; TORIE CHUGG, PAUL DEBOIS, GETTY/RA KEARTON; NEIL HEPWORTH

1

Evergreen leaves provide the backdrop for small yet mighty, brilliant blue flowers. It’s ideal for shady corners and will self-seed.

H x S 20cm x 30cm F Mar-Apr

Discover that Island feeling An Island holiday is closer than you think.

Escape close to home in a place that feels worlds away. #ThatIslandFeeling *Please check our latest travel guidance before booking.

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Scan to visit our website *Terms and conditions apply. This offer is on selected units and for a limited time only.

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Heaven

scentt

Create t containers t i th thatt smell ll as g good as they look with Adam Duxbury’s scented summer pots Creating beautiful pot combinations that use the best plants of the season is a true joy. But when those containers are bursting with fragrance the enjoyment is doubled. Here, I’ve taken that idea a step further by theming each pot with a mix of plants whose perfume will evoke a specific mood. Just brush your hands gently through the foliage and lean in closer for a sniff – you’ll discover the sweet romantic fragrance of roses and dianthus, the rich and heady spice of Vietnamese coriander and salvia, and the zesty fizz of eucalyptus and thyme.

When choosing plants, one of the first things we do is to inhale their unique scents.

How a plant smells is intrinsic to how much we enjoy them.

We all have our own likes and dislikes, so with these pots as a guide, you can take your olfactory adventures wherever you please, with the plants and scents you love the most.

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 3 4

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scent in pots

 Modern romance Of course, a fragrant rose just had to be the star of this classically romantic container. And Rosa ‘The Generous Gardener’ certainly delivers in that department, with its soft, sweet and totally scrumptious perfume. A hot splash of love-it-orloathe-it dianthus amplifies the sweetness – and surely the name ‘Tickled Pink’ makes up for any garage-bouquet associations? The ‘spiller’ here is Erigeron karvinskianus: no fragrance, I’m afraid, but sometimes when you look this charming you can’t have it all. This rose is a climber so, come late winter, move her out to a sunny spot in the garden with a support frame and let her run free.



We used

 Rosa ‘The Generous Gardener’  Dianthus ‘Tickled Pink’ 3 Viola ‘Raspberry’ 4 Erigeron karvinskianus 5 Container: Deroma Taso Cilindrico Terracotta Graphite, 35cm, from nunheadgardener.co.uk, £36.95

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5 other scented roses to try

 R. ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ (pictured on our cover)  R. ‘Letchworth Centenary’  R. ‘Benjamin Britten’  R. ‘Darcey Bussell’  R. ‘Grace’

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Fire and spice  The starting point for this peppery planting combination is the scarlet-red container, complemented by the violas and long-flowering salvias. A frothy imperata grass adds some oomph and chocolate cosmos gives a rich cocoa hit. But it’s the herbs that really bring the heat: a gentle rub of the Mentha x piperita ‘Chocolate’, the tangy Vietnamese coriander and the purple basil will release a powerful scent combo guaranteed to lift your mood.

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We used

 Salvia ‘Embers Wish’  Ocimum basilicum purpurascens (purple basil)

3 Salvia coccinea 4 Cosmos atrosanguineus ‘Chocamocha’ 5 Imperata cylindrica ‘Red Baron’ 6 Mentha x piperita ‘Chocolate’ 7 Viola ‘Red Blotch’ 8 Persicaria odorata (Vietnamese coriander) 9 Container: similar 30cm pot available from elho.com, £15.29

PHOTOS: PAUL DEBOIS

5 other warm and peppery plants

 Chrysanthemum ‘Allouise Salmon’  Curry plant (Helichrysum italicum)  Bay (Laurus nobilis)  African marigold (Tagetes erecta)  Lydian broom (Genista lydia) July 2022

9 GardenersWorld.com

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 Zest to impress

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We used

1 Panicum virgatum ‘Heavy Metal’ 2 Eucalyptus pulverulenta ‘Baby Blue’ 3 Jacobaea maritima (silver ragwort) 4 Campanula portenschlagiana 5 Thymus ‘Silver Queen’ and T. citriodorus 6 Artemisia arborescens (tree wormwood) 7 Container: Elho 43cm Allure Ribbon

5 more zesty plants

 Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans)  Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)  Lovage (Levisticum officinale)  Choisya ternata ‘White Dazzler’  Lavender cotton (Santolina

PHOTOS: PAUL DEBOIS

Taking a stylistic cue from the modern, grey pot, here I’ve added a selection of plants with fresh, silvery foliage for a clean, zesty look and aroma.

The eucalyptus is the star, with its unique sweetpine scent. Artemesia adds a bitter herbaceous note and is just crying out to be gently ruffled.

Lemony thyme will quickly grow to cascade down the sides, enhancing the herbal zing. Take time to move the eucalyptus into a permanent position after one season, so as to minimise any disturbance of its delicate root system.

chamaecyparissus)

High Round Mineral Grey, available from planfor.co.uk, £95.00

July 2022

scent in pots

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 Mediterranean memories Is there a more soothing balm than the heady perfume of sun-warmed lavender? Be careful not to sit too close to this easy-going pot or you might find yourself drifting off. Just take a whiff of the liquorice-scented agastache leaves and the rich bouquet of thyme and you’ll soon wake right up. While it’s not scented, Geranium ‘Rozanne’ adds a charming purple hue that complements the classically Mediterranean terracotta bowl. And it will keep delivering on the flower-front for months on end.

July 2022

We used

1 Lavandula ‘Regal Splendour’ 2 Agastache ‘Globetrotter’ 3 Geranium ‘Rozanne’ 4 Thymus ‘Silver Queen’ and T. citriodorus 5 Container: 44cm terracotta round planting bowl, similar available from riverhillgardensupplies.com, £59.95

5 more fragrant Mediterranean plants

 Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)  Sweet marjoram (Origanum majorana)  Perovskia ‘Blue Spire’  Jasminum officinale  Pelargonium ‘Graveolens’

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scent in pots

How to plant your aromatic container

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CHECK that your container has at least one good drainage hole, then add a generous layer of peat-free compost. This container had extra horticultural grit added to suit the Mediterranean plants.

START adding your plants, gently teasing out any tightly bound roots.

Choose your star attraction to sit in the centre or towards the back of the container – here it’s the lavender.

3

4

CONTINUE adding your plants, making sure any trailing varieties are close to the edge, where they can spill over. Fill in any gaps with compost and firm everything gently into position.

2

PLACE your pot into its final position then give it a good soaking to help settle everything in and get your plants off to a good start. Water regularly and occasionally add a liquid feed to boost flower production.

‘Gertrude Jekyll’ is one of the first English roses to flower, with a sublime scent

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GardenersWorld.com

While we lucky gardeners get to enjoy the many magnificent scents that flowers produce, it’s not for our benefit that plants fill the air with fragrance. The scents they produce are actually a way of communicating: in the race to attract pollinators, powerful volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are created. These oils combine with the colour and shape of the flower to tell pollinators that food can be found here.

When you notice a sweet floral smell, this is usually a signal for pollinators such as honeybees, bumblebees and butterflies, which love sugary aromas. A rotting or fishy smell is also a signal for pollinators, but this time for

flies and beetles. However, the fresh herbal scent of plants such as rosemary and mint play a different role. These scents are secreted by the leaves and the sharp smell is released when they are disturbed, with this bitterness acting as a defence against pests like aphids.

No matter which flower you are sniffing, thanks to hundreds of VOCs at play, no two will ever smell the same.

WATCH Monty’s video guide

to planting for scent at Gardeners World.com/planting-aroma July 2022

PHOTOS: PAUL DEBOIS; GAP PHOTS/FIONA MCLEOD

The science of scent

7RROV RI WKH WUDGH There are so many handy tools across the Husqvarna range to pair with your battery for instant, easy results. Take a look at just three to get you inspired.

LC 137i lawn mower Mow your garden quickly and quietly in a single charge with the easy to manoeuvre LC 137i.

6R̴W power Husqvarnaís battery-powered gardening machinery gives you ultimate capability without the noise, fumes and headaches

I

f youíre maintaining your garden using older, petrol-powered machinery, it can put a lot of strain on your body and your mind. But by choosing celebrated Swedish manufacturer Husqvarnaís series of battery-powered tools, you can create and maintain amazing outdoor spaces with minimum fuss and effort.

Husqvarna prides itself on sustainable and gardener-first solutions, and is trusted by those who create and maintain green spaces, from forests and private gardens to sports arenas. Its battery products arenít just used by professionals, though. Husqvarnaís battery series offers a wide range of products for every task in your own garden.

Thereís much less noise, no need to furiously pull at a starter cord and no dizzying fumes to contend with, unlike petrol-powered models. Youíll also be saving on fuel and cutting your emissions, and you wonít have to worry about engine or filter maintenance. And because Husqvarnaís 36V battery system is interchangeable across the product range, you can simply charge and go.

Whatís more, the Husqvarna Connect mobile app interacts with battery products, giving you immediate access to everything you need to do things smarter. From digital manuals and guides to runtime statistics, charging status, real-life notifications and much more, Husqvarna Connect can take all the stress out of gardening.

120iB blower A lightweight and easy to use leaf blower, perfect for occasional home use.

120iTK4 pole system Get your trees and hedges in shape with the 120iTK4 telescopic battery pole system. This versatile combi pole machine works with interchangeable hedge trimmer and pole saw attachments, meaning you only need one machine for two tasks. Choose from the 120iTK4-H (with hedge trimmer attachment), 120iTK4-P (with pole saw attachment), and 120iTK4-PH (with hedge trimmer & pole saw attachments).

Discover spring savings of up to £40 off battery products until 30 June 2022, as well as savings across the whole range, including up to £200 off the AutomowerÆ 415X.

To find amazing offers, head to husqvarna.com/uk

Family gardening special!

10 great ideas for summer fun Discover easy low-cost inspiration to keep everyone entertained in the garden all summer long – starting with Zoë Lake’s brilliant projects and adventures

1

TOP TIP

DIY hideaway den There’s no better way to spend a morning than building a den to read in. Your den can be a mighty blanket fort from which to launch epic battles or a dainty bower fit for a queen.

Use blankets and net curtains for mats to set the tone in your hideaway

What you’ll need

 Tepee, tent or den  Blankets, sheets and tablecloths  Pegs (metal, fexi-grip or sturdy bamboo are best)  Cushions and pillows  Basket of books  Snacks  Leakproof water bottles  Cuddly toys  Imagination

How to make

The tepee shown here was made from old duvet covers from a charity shop and bamboo canes. The covers were cut to size and I sewed some pockets along the edges to hold upright canes. These were all tied at the top with elastic bands. I also added further pockets at the base for additional canes to give more stability.

A simple alternative is a rope strung across two trees with a sheet thrown over, then weighted down with rocks to create a simple ridge tent. It is easy to build and gives youngsters somewhere to call their own. We often use a bed canopy outside too, for a simple open-fronted den, which can easily be made to feel cosy.

Have fun without spending much money, while considering the environment, by reusing and repurposing items 52

GardenersWorld.com

July 2022

Hang up bird feeders

2

It’s easy to make this colourful bird feeder to hang up in your garden, encouraging your feathered friends to join you for their tea.

Your garden will become known as the place to hang out for a fantastic feast.

family fun

Whip up sun water

TOP TIP Create a journal recording what and where you fnd wildlife in your garden

MAKES 4 FEEDERS

Sun water is so simple and particularly fun for toddlers. You can make it from strawberries, and even start growing strawberries and mint to ensure a steady stream of sun water, allowing youngsters to assemble it themselves.

Cucumber or lemon also make colourful drinks but are not as sweet.

3

What you’ll need

 Two whole oranges  String cut into 8 x 60cm lengths  150g wild bird seed  50g oats  50g vegetable suet

MAKES ONE JAR

What you’ll need

 Strawberries  Oranges  Mint leaves  Water

Directions

1 Cut your oranges in half and scoop out the inside with a teaspoon – eat it as a snack or add to your porridge in the morning.

2 Thread a large-eyed needle with string.

Make two holes in line with each other just below the rim of the orange peel half. Thread the twine through, then knot the ends to hold in place.

Repeat with another length of string and two more holes opposite the frst pair.

3 Melt the suet in a pan, remove from the heat then add the bird seed and oats, mixing thoroughly.

4 Scoop the seed mixture, while still warm, into the empty orange halves. Cool in the fridge for 20 minutes, then hang them around your garden.

Directions

1 Grab a jar with a lid and add slices of strawberries and orange. Poke in a few mint leaves too and top up with fresh water.

2 Give the jar a little shake and place in the sunshine, shaking periodically and sip once warmed through.

Drink your sun water by the end of the day, so it doesn’t spoil. Or put it in the fridge for later, allowing time for the favours to mingle.

PHOTOS: ZOË LAKE; SHUTTERSTOCK/HALFPOINT

Get them growing This is a fun way for children to discover where food comes from and how to grow it.

Start with quick, easy crops they’ll enjoy, which can be used to make a meal you can all cook together. Cherry tomatoes, spring onions, basil and spinach will all crop at the same time and can be made into delicious pasta sauce. If you’re short on outdoor space, grow cress on a windowsill to add to salads and sandwiches. Herbs are also ideal for a windowsill. Or put up a hanging basket and grow tumbling cherry tomatoes.

Easy starters

I recommend any of the following as being child friendly to grow and eat:  Cherry tomatoes – for pasta sauces, salads and pizzas  Cut-and-come-again lettuce – make a salad with dressing and grated cheese July 2022

 Dwarf French beans or runner beans – brilliant for little hands to pick  Raspberries and strawberries – perfect for puddings and refreshing drinks  Chives – fab on everything, the fowers are delicious too and oh so pretty  Radishes – super simple and brightly coloured, but quite peppery for young ones

4

What you’ll need

 Seeds and labels  Old pots – or make your own  Soil or garden compost  Watering can  Trowel and markers  Plastic boxes or drinks bottles to reuse as cloches  Old clothes and wellies, so you can get stuck in There’s no need to buy new pots – just use whatever you have. Or make biodegradable pots for seeds by rolling newspaper around a glass, then fatten the base.

GardenersWorld.com

53

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family fun

TOP TIP An upturned pot in a shady nook with rotting leaves is perfect for a frog or toad  Adventures at Home – 40 ways to make happy family memories

by Zoë Lake, £20, Pimpernel Press, pimpernelpress.com.

For more ideas, follow Zoë on Instagram @zoe__lake

5

Build a bug house Inspire your budding architects, builders and interior designers to create a wildlife home fit for a two-, four-, six-, eight- or even 100-legged creature! You can make a simple bug house from logs and stones in a quiet corner. Or create a spider’s spot by twining sticks together and leaving near a doorway, where flies are sure to whizz past. If you do disturb any wildlife, teach your youngsters to be kind and responsible and pop those worms back in the mud or let the woodlice retreat behind the logs.

6

Be inspired by insects

Seek out and identify some of the fascinating insects that visit and live in your garden. A wildlife hunt

PHOTOS: ZOË LAKE

can also inspire other fun ideas, such as making butterfly wings from wire coat hangers and old tights. And be sure to join in the Big Butterfly Count, between 15 July and 7 August – see bigbutterflycount.org

July 2022

7

Search for treasures Scavenger hunts can be as easy or as difficult as you like. To keep it really simple, all you need is an empty egg box, shoe box, basket or bucket for each person. Then challenge everyone to find as many beautiful items in your garden as you possibly can. Remind youngsters not to pick anything unless you know they can and it’s safe to do so. Or paint each compartment inside the egg carton a different colour, then go in search of items that match the colours.

What you’ll need  Egg cartons, baskets or buckets  Print-outs for nature hunts GardenersWorld.com

55

Easy step-by-step projects Ingrid Chiu and her children whip up petal perfume, a wormery and herby jam-jar gifts

8 How to make: perfume 1 Pick a selection of edible fowers and put the petals into a small measuring jug.

2 Add water to cover the blooms and give it a mix, gently bruising the petals with a wooden spoon.

3 Pour the potion into a small spray bottle, using a mini-funnel, dropping a couple of petals in too. Let them enjoy spritzing their fower potion, just like a perfume.

Keep the mixture in the fridge and discard after two days.

TOP TIP

9

Make small holes in a scrap of fabric and secure with an elastic band to cover the top

PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE

How to make: a wormery

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1 Recycle an old, clean plastic bottle, cutting carefully in half to create a lid for your wormery.

Remove the bottle top, to let air in for the worms.

2 Use a scoop to fill the bottle, adding in wet sand and compost in alternate layers. Top with sliced cucumber, or other worm-friendly greens.

3 Add in your worm friends. Wrap some black paper or card around the bottle to mimic an underground environment. Place in a cool, dark spot, keep it damp and check regularly to see if the layers are mixed. Remember to safely release the worms back into your garden afterwards.

GardenersWorld.com

July 2022

family fun

TOP TIP Swap herbs for fast-growing seeds such as microgreens

10

How to make: jam-jar gifts

1 Wash and soak the label off an empty jam jar.

Fill with a centimetre or so of grit or small pebbles, and top with a few spoons of peat-free compost.

2 Add a small clump of their favourite fragrant herb, with roots. Rosemary, thyme and sage all work well. Backfill with compost and gently firm in.

3 Label up with vintage-style preserve stickers and finish with decorative ribbon, ready for gifting. Don’t forget to water.

July 2022

GardenersWorld.com

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family fun

Cool kit for summer adventures

Check out the latest sunshine essentials and children’s gardening accessories  Gardening staples they’ll enjoy using year after year: snail kneeler £15.49, garden trowel and fork set £9.99, garden fork £18.99, and hedgehog gloves £8.99, from the National Trust range, burgonandball.com

 Read them, then sow them – these plantable books p ccontain carrot and parsley seeds p within the pages, w £9.99 each, £9 willsow.com wil

 Everything they need in one bag for hours of fun setting up camp – bunting to finish! The Cottage Garden Den Kit £45, thedenkitco.com

 Lightweight and pint-sized, perfect for little hands and made from recycled plastic, The Langley sprinkler watering can £7.99, haws.co.uk

 You’ll never run out of things to do with the family d bucket list A3 poster b £8.99, toddleborn £ wild.com w

 Protect tiny knees from grazes and provide a comfy base too. Havana outdoor rug, from £119, ruggable.com

 Tackle anything the outdoors throws at them with these nifty planet-friendly lotions.

Bite and sting relief £6.99, eco refill sunscreen spray £12.99, hand sanitiser and refill £13.99, toddlebornwild.com 58

GardenersWorld.com Gard d

COMPLIED BY LUCY FELTON

 A no-fuss colour-in bug hostel, ideal for an afternoon activity, £14, mandco.com

VISIT GardenersWorld.com/ gardening-with-kids for more great ideas on gardening with children July 2022

SALLY AND PEPPER’S STORY

Reg. Trademark of Société des Produits Nestlé S.A. *Ingredients from natural origin. **This review was collected as part of a Purina promotion in 2022 where Purina customers were sent free samples and invited to post a review

Here’s why Sally thinks her adorable puppy Pepper is a Great British Dog…

Puppy love

“In the past, I have suffered with depression. After getting Pepper, my life changed for the better,” Sally explains.

“She encouraged me to go outside more, which is ultimately what inspired me to take up a course in floristry.”

Now, Sally owns a charming flower shop in London, and Pepper accompanies her to work every day.

“Pepper is the star employee. If she sees other dogs chewing the flowers, she tells them off!” she laughs. “Now that I have Pepper, I feel like I can do so much more with my life. I want to go out and make memories.”

Celebrate the beautiful bond between you and your furry friend with Winalot ’s Great British Dogs campaign ®

E

very summer, we’re all desperate to get out into the garden and take advantage of the sunshine while we can – and the same goes for our beloved dogs. Whether they’re digging holes or running off with your shoes, your furry friend can often be relied upon to make mischief while you’re trying to tend your garden.

But Winalot® knows that when the going gets tough, our pooches are our everyday heroes and they deserve the best care possible. That’s

why it’s been feeding the greatness in Britain’s dogs for more than 90 years, with wholesome, nutritious meals that keep tails wagging.

Just take Winalot®’s wet puppy-food pouches with succulent meaty chunks. Made using natural ingredients*, they’ve been specifically formulated to help support the health of growing puppies. These easy-to-serve pouches also help promote healthy digestion and a shiny coat. Plus, you can rest assured there won’t be a morsel left on the plate!

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What a winner!

“My Cockapoo puppy is a really fussy eater and we have tried so many different foods.

Finally we have found a food he enjoys and goes to his bowl for. He loves Winalot pouches so much he even licks the bowl after.”

Dabbas – April 2022**

Discover the full Winalot range at purina.co.uk

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rhinogreenhouses.co.uk 0800 694 1929

Welcome the joys of spring from within your very own Rhino greenhouse. Ultra-strong and beatifully engineered to provide everything you need on your gardening journey, it’s the perfect space to protect and grow your plants as the days get longer and nature blossoms back into life.

solar lights With no cables or hassle around replacing batteries, solar lights are perfect for creating subtle effects on and around seating areas

BUYER’S GUIDE

Solar lighting PHOTO: SARAH CUTTLE

Make your evenings shine with Reviews Editor Kay Maguire’s expert guide to solar lights The garden becomes an outdoor room over the summer and as day starts to fade, well-placed lighting can help you extend the fun long into the night.

Cheap and a breeze to install, solar lighting is a great option. It needs no mains electricity, so there are no messy wires causing trip hazards and with no plug sockets to worry July 2022

about, you’re free to put lights wherever you like. After the initial outlay, there are also no running costs. Lights turn on automatically at dusk and turn off at dawn, which preserves battery life and makes them maintenance-free.

They’re better for garden wildlife than mainspowered lighting, too: as they tend to be dimmer, they’re less likely to confuse bats

or wake birds. They also attract fewer insects than mains-powered lights.

In this buyer’s guide, our pick of solar lighting includes lanterns, spotlights and string lights.

We offer expert tips on what to look out for and how they work, explain the different types of lights available, and include insight on how best to use them with wildlife in mind.

GardenersWorld.com

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solar lights

How do solar lights work?

Solar lights are powered by internal rechargeable batteries, charged through the day by a solar panel.

The brighter the day, the more power is stored by the battery and the longer the light will shine. Light is produced by one or more LEDs; at dusk they turn on automatically, until turning off when the sun comes up.

During summer, when the days are long and sunlight is most intense, lights will be brighter for longer, providing six to eight hours of light.

On cloudier days this can be reduced to four to six hours, and in the winter, lights are often only lit for two hours.

Solar string garden lights £11.95

amazon.co.uk These six-and-a-half metre lights feature 30 warmwhite, bulb-style lamps and eight lighting modes.

They have an on/off switch, allowing you to turn them off at the end of the night, and also have a high Ingress Protection (IP) rating of 65.

Will my lights be bad for local wildlife?

Firefly solarpowered warm-white 50 LED outdoor string lights £9

diy.com Here, 50 warm-white LEDs are held on almost seven metres of unobtrusive wire. Simple to use, with a good length of cable between the lights and the solar panel, these are easy to position in a sunny spot. With an IP rating of 44, they can be left outside year-round.

July 2022

Artificial light at night impacts wildlife in a number of ways, including their breeding and navigation. To ensure lighting doesn’t disturb wildlife, allow some areas of the garden to remain in darkness. Angle and position lights low-down, choose less harsh, warmwhite bulbs and be aware of the brightness of your lights – for ambient background lighting 50 lumens is plenty, and 100-200 lumens is sufficient to light up a path.

Also make sure you’re only lighting up the garden when you need to by choosing lights with motion sensors, or by turning off your lights before you go to bed.

GardenersWorld.com

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Ultra-light thanks to its unique carbon fibre construction, the Halo weighs just 2.6kg yet has the equivalent suction power of a full-size vacuum. It won’t quit on you half way through your cleaning either. The Halo keeps on going for over 60 minutes* before needing recharging. When combined with its huge 1.6L capacity, it means you can now deep clean the whole house in just one go. Try doing that with any other cordless or with such speed and ease using a corded. And when you’ve finished, the Halo’s Dust Pouch enables you to get rid of the dirt without the usual cloud of dust and mess.

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solar lights

Which type of solar light is right for me?

Wickes Lutec Superspot LED spike light with integrated solar panel

Solar lights can be used purely for ambience and decoration, or can have a more practical function such as illuminating a path or providing security lighting.

Many offer flashing as well as constant lighting options, and there’s often a choice of coloured bulbs. Some of the most popular types include:

£17

wickes.co.uk With a large solar panel that can be angled to catch the sun, this warmwhite spotlight has a 50-lumen output and the option of flashing or constant light. With an IP rating of 54, it can be left out in all weather.

String lights Just like Christmas fairy lights, these have LEDs or bulbs spaced along a wire or cable. Wrapped around trees, woven though shrubs or draped along fencing, they provide an atmospheric, twinkling display. They’re usually sold in specific lengths or according to the number of bulbs or LEDs.

Post lights Useful dotted along a path or through borders, these help guide you through the garden. Bulbs sit at the top of a stake, post or bollard and cast light downwards. Some also include motion sensors to light up an area as you walk towards it.

 Damasque solar lantern £28.99

crocus.co.uk This Moroccan-style lantern is made from steel, with an antique, rusty finish. The solar panel and LED light sit in the top of the globe and cast a bright light through the shade to create intricate patterns against walls and floor surfaces. It can be hung from its loop handle or stood on a table.

Spotlights Ideal for lighting up a specific area, focus plant or feature, recent technology means some of these can be as bright as mains-powered lights. The beam can be angled for extra impact, while motion sensors allow them to function as security lighting, too.

Lanterns Hung up or free-standing and used as an intimate tabletop or patio feature, these decorative lights often have stylish or intricate designs that project patterns to add atmosphere to your evening.

July 2022

Wilko 10-pack small garden solar light markers £10.50

wilko.com Push these stake lights into the ground for an instant glow. At less than 30cm in height they keep their white light low. They do not have an on/off switch, so must be taken down when not in use.

GardenersWorld.com

65

solar lights  TrueFlame USB Crook solar lantern

Look out for these details

£24.99

Five key factors to consider when making your shortlist

thesolarcentre.co.uk Featuring a flickering real-flame effect, these traditionally styled lanterns hang from their pole to light up a path or border, but they can also be stood upright on a table or patio. They include a power-saving mode and the option of USB charging.

 Solar panel size The bigger the solar panel, the more light the cells can absorb and the longer the lights will stay on. If you want to illuminate a shady area of the garden, look for lights with a good length of cable from the solar panel to the LEDs, so you can place the panel in your brightest spot.  Brightness Light output is measured in lumens: the higher the lumen count, the brighter the light. Decorative solar lights emit around 50 lumens, but those used for security can produce as much as 1,000 lumens.  Motion sensors Lights that come on only as you approach are great for prolonging the life of your battery and LEDs. As they only light up in short bursts, they’re also less dependent on natural light levels, and will work just as well in the winter as in the bright summer months.  Durability and weather resistance Look out for long-lasting materials such as stainless steel, aluminium or tough plastic. The Ingress Protection (IP) rating will indicate how weatherproof and water-resistant lights are, and rates how easily dust and water can enter electronics.

If you plan to keep solar lights outside permanently, aim for ones with an IP rating of 44 and above.  Replaceable parts To really prolong the life of your solar lights, look out for brands that offer replacement light packs, solar panels and rechargeable batteries for sale separately.

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GardenersWorld.com

Marrakesh Moroccan solar stake lights £24.99

lights4fun.co.uk Introducing an attractive patterned light, these four plastic stake lights can be lined along a path or steps to lead the way, or dotted among flower beds. They feature an on/off button under the lid and have an IP rating of 44.

How to use solar lights

Atlas solar spotlights £44.99

lights4fun.co.uk Illuminating to a distance of 25 metres, these two spotlights are connected to the solar panel with four and a half metres of cable, so it’s easy to get the position just right.

They have a 50-lumen output and an IP rating of 44 for year-round use.

With no cable and no need for an outdoor electricity source, solar lights are easy to install.

Before proceeding, ensure the solar panel will get lots of sun by checking where direct sunlight falls throughout the day. Tweak the position if you need to after the first few days, and keep the solar panel clean and dust-free by wiping it down regularly.

Also, some lights need to be turned off for a couple of days when you first install them. This gives them time to charge up fully before use.

VISIT GardenersWorld.

com/reviews for buyer’s guides and product reviews July 2022

Raise the bar-becue Hosting a garden party this summer?

Get your gathering off to the perfect start with Wertherís Original

T

he warmer months are finally upon us, which means you can look forward to spending more days in your own carefully curated outdoor haven. If you love sharing your garden with family and friends at this time of year, then chances are you plan on hosting a barbecue or three ñ and Wertherís Original is here to help take yours to the next level.

From fun lawn games and table dÈcor inspiration to tempting recipe ideas, read on to discover how you can throw your best barbecue yet.

Get playing Whether youíve got children in attendance or are simply looking for ways to keep your guests entertained while you tend to the barbecue, lawn games can most definitely be used to your advantage. If youíre blessed with a large outdoor space, then croquet is always a popular choice, while traditional quoits is ideal for smaller

gardens. If youíre on a budget or simply want a more sustainable option, collect some sizeable sticks and paint 10 stones in different colours, five in one colour and five in another, and youíve got yourself a garden-friendly edition of noughts and crosses.

Get decorating When it comes to making your garden partyready, there are a few simple and inexpensive tips and tricks you can apply. For instance, instead of buying bouquets of flowers to use as table centrepieces, pick some pretty flowers and foliage from your garden and add them to vases or nestle them into your guestsí napkins. You could also try setting up a drinks station. Not only will it make for a fun and unique addition, but it will enable guests to keep themselves topped up, leaving you free to get on with other things ñ like mingling and enjoying yourself!

Get grilling Barbecuing your food can add such an incredible depth of flavour and Wertherís Original can be used to create delicious caramelised chicken skewers. Simply grind some Wertherís Original Butter Candies in a high-powered food processor and mix a little mustard, yogurt, lemon juice, crushed garlic, and salt to create the ultimate marinade. Thread the marinated chicken onto skewers, along with peppers and red onion, then barbecue for you and your guests to enjoy.

For more warmth inspiration, or to find delicious Wertherís recipes, visit bit.ly/werthers-unwind or scan the QR code

PART 11 Getting started Keep plants in containers well watered, especially in warm weather, as they dry out much faster than plants in the ground

Where do I

start?

Watering

For beginner gardeners, getting to grips with the fundamentals can seem daunting. But in this exclusive series, Alan Titchmarsh is sharing his wisdom to help you master the skills that really matter.

This month, find out about watering – how to avoid wastage, which plants to prioritise when watering and which will thrive even when conditions are dry. Follow Alan’s tips to help you make best use of this valuable resource.

PHOTO: SARAH CUTTLE

You’ll learn about:

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✔ Which plants need the most watering ✔ Creating a droughttolerant garden ✔ How best to water plants in containers GardenersWorld.com

July 2022

getting started

If your water is metered, you’ll save on bills if you collect the water that falls from the heavens – use water butts to make the most of this free supply July 2022

GardenersWorld.com

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Built for your garden Free delivery & design

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getting started

PHOTO: SARAH CUTTLE

Watering Without it we perish – and so do our gardens.

Water is the stuff of life, but like all valuable assets it needs to be carefully managed to avoid wastage and to make sure we get the most out of it.

You’ll know from a glance at your bill that as a commodity water is not cheap, so in terms of economy you’ll need to prioritise its use in the garden, reserving it for those plants that really need it, and not squandering it on those that will survive dry spells perfectly well without your watering can or hosepipe.

With a few simple precautions you’ll be able to make sure your water supply is directed to those plants that will really benefit. And to avoid using mains water as much as possible, it’s vital to collect and store as much rainwater as you can. Giving this to your plants will help to make this valuable resource go further.

July 2022

Water tomatoes on a regular basis when the fruits are swelling, to prevent the skins splitting

What needs watering?

It is the plants that are most vulnerable to fluctuating moisture levels in the soil that need the most attention when it comes to watering.

It stands to reason that anything growing in a container is totally at the mercy of you and your watering can. If you let the compost in pots, baskets and other containers dry out, growth stops, plants wilt and – in severe cases – they die. But if you keep the potting compost evenly moist, growth will be markedly more healthy and the production of flowers and fruits more consistent.

Newly planted trees, shrubs, perennials and bedding plants need watering to establish their roots. They should be watered repeatedly until their root system has travelled far enough to ensure they have access to reserves deeper in the ground – generally during prolonged dry spells in their first year.

Fruit and vegetables need steady supplies of moisture to keep them growing and developing well. Take tomatoes, for instance.

Allow them to dry out and growth slows down, the skin of the fruit begins to harden and when water is reapplied it has lost its flexibility and the fruit splits. It will still be edible, but nothing like as succulent as it would have been with a steady supply of moisture.

Forget about watering established plants with deep root systems. Only those that have roots close to the surface and that always seem to wilt in prolonged dry spells – such as rudbeckias, phlox and asters – are worth giving a soak to relieve their stress and keep them growing.

Likewise, although the lawn is the first thing to suffer in a drought (grass roots being very close to the surface), it has tough little buds that will stay

alive and regenerate come the first shower of rain. Only newly sown lawns or those being established from turf should be watered to prevent them dying before your very eyes.

So use a sprinkler only on the newest of lawns.

Rainwater always seems to be more to plants’ liking than mains water, but the latter is most certainly preferable to no water at all.

Hard water may turn the leaves of rhododendrons and other lime haters yellow, so where possible collect rainwater for them.

Efficient options Irrigation systems are a great luxury and if they can be installed when you’re creating a garden, they will save you time and heartache, although the cost of installation will be relatively high. Systems that deliver the water to the roots, rather than spraying overhead, are more economical and efficient in terms of the amount of water delivered. As well as avoiding water loss by evaporation, they will also prevent plants being weighed down by water and their stems being broken as a consequence. A soaker-hose snaked between the plants just below the surface of the soil is about the most efficient means of getting water to the roots. Link it to a computerised timer at the tap and your watering can be automated to suit prevailing weather conditions.

Improve your soil at the outset, adding organic matter to encourage water retention, apply a mulch in spring to prevent evaporation, and choose plants that will enjoy the prevailing moisture conditions in that particular part of your garden – moisture-lovers in boggy areas, drought-tolerant plants where the soil is prone to drying out – and you will save yourself both money and plants.

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Award winning Lawnmowers from Cobra Create a lawn that is the envy of your neighbours with an award winning lawnmower from Cobra.

At the heart of these powerful, stylish mowers is a choice of either electric, cordless or petrol engines powered by Briggs & Stratton, Honda and Kohler. With over 170 products in the range, Cobra are sure to have a product to suit your specific gardening needs. These include domestic and professional lawnmowers, cultivators, chainsaws and brushcutters to name just a few.

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getting started

✓

How long will it take?

ALAN’S TOP TIPS

Watering takes time, so choose plants that are tolerant of a certain amount of dryness at the roots if you want to minimise the time you spend watering.

Plants in containers need regular watering, so the more you have, the more time you’ll need to spend watering them – up to twice a day in high summer.

£

How do you save money?

?

What should I expect?

If your water is metered, you’ll save on your bills if you collect the water that falls from the heavens.

With water butts on all your downpipes, you can make the most of this free supply.

It’s a good idea to divert your greenhouse downpipes into a sunken tank inside it, to make watering much more convenient.

Irrigation systems can be expensive to install, but they’ll save time and effort and can be more efficient.

Choose silvery or downy plants, such as stachys, as these adaptations reduce water loss

Create a drought-tolerant garden

PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE; NEIL HEPWORTH; JASON INGRAM

The obvious way to create a garden that can cope with prolonged periods of drought is to use tough plants that are naturally equipped to go without water for long periods. The trouble is that cacti tend to be frost tender and better suited to Wyoming than Warrington. But there are plants that are hardy as well as drought resistant – these tend to be plants with thick, deep roots and leaves that are adapted to retain moisture. Options range from red-hot pokers to berberis, hardy geraniums to

Set up as many water butts as you can, to avoid using mains water in your garden

July 2022

choisyas. Do your homework by noticing which plants are thriving without constant watering in other gardens locally. Much can be learned from observation.

Once established, many plants will create deeper root systems if they’re made to seek out moisture for themselves. Constant watering can encourage them to rely on surface roots, then when you’re away or forget to water they suffer, because moisture deep in the soil is beyond their reach. The aforementioned phlox and rudbeckias, along with other shallow rooters, are best avoided if you want your garden to tolerate dry conditions.

If your garden is naturally hot and dry, choose Mediterranean plants that are naturally adapted to such conditions.

The list is surprisingly long and includes lavender, rosemary, ceanothus, sedums, artemisia, hebes, Chusan and cabbage palms, stachys, salvias and bearded irises.

Encourage your soil to retain as much water as possible by incorporating plenty of garden compost or well-rotted manure, and applying a mulch to damp soil in spring.

A thick layer of chipped bark, or gravel if that’s more appropriate to your design, will seal in moisture and reduce evaporation.

Install water butts at the foot of all your downpipes, so no rainwater is wasted. And to make sure every drop is utilised, water with a can rather than a hosepipe.

By choosing plants that are drought tolerant, by collecting and storing your rainwater and by diverting water to where it can do the most good, you will be able to create a garden where you’re not a slave to the hosepipe or watering can, where your plants grow steadily and healthily and where water is used wisely rather than extravagantly.

Plant Mediterranean herbs in a container – they’ll enjoy the drier conditions

?

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getting started

BUYING TIPS Water butts are a great way to cut your water bills, reduce your mains-water usage and help the environment. There are many sizes, designs and prices, from slim-line butts for tight spaces to eco-friendly recycled-plastic rain barrels. Browse our guide to the latest and best at GardenersWorld.com/water-butts Watering cans help you water more selectively and moderately, and there’s a huge array of styles, colours and sizes to suit all tastes. Plastic is lighter to carry, but galvanised steel will last for years. Check out our favourites at GardenersWorld.com/watering-cans Irrigation systems are surprisingly easy to set up and will save you time and money in the long run.

They can even be connected to a water butt if you add a pump. See GardenersWorld.com/watering-system for how to choose and set up an automatic system.

Find out more about environment-kind watering kit, and where to buy, on page 79.

To reduce watering, choose larger pots – small ones dry out too quickly

Watering containers a gap between the surface of the compost and the rim of the pot to allow for watering. Apply water until the pot overflows.

Plant outdoor containers densely. Although this will fill the container with roots, it will slow down evaporation from the surface of the compost.

Watering in the evening is the preferred time of day, so the water will be absorbed under cover of darkness when evaporation rates are at their lowest.

To test the dryness of potting compost, look at it, feel it with your finger or weigh the pot in your hand. If the compost feels like a freshly wrung-out flannel, it is sufficiently moist. Wait until the surface is slightly dry before you soak the compost again.

To look after your containers when you go on holiday, you can invest in a spaghetti system of irrigation pipes for larger containers on a terrace or patio, linked to a timer attached to the tap. Alternatively seek out an obliging neighbour who is happy to check them each day in return for the harvest from your veg patch!

An irrigation system or leaky hose is ideal for thirsty crops, delivering water directly to where it’s needed

LISTEN to Alan talking about how to attract more wildlife into your garden, and growing your own fruit and veg. Plus, Arit discusses water-wise gardening in our Growing Greener podcasts.

All available at GardenersWorld.com/podcast

NEXT MONTH Alan shares his beginner’s guide to making and looking after water features 74

GardenersWorld.com

July 2022

PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE; JASON INGRAM

The type of container you choose will have a bearing on the amount of watering it needs. The larger the container, the more slowly it will dry out, so try to avoid having masses of tiny pots on a patio or terrace – they will make you a slave to the hosepipe or watering can. The compost will dry out far too fast and the plants will suffer as a result.

Terracotta and ceramic containers tend to remain cooler than those made of plastic.

Ceramic containers dry out more slowly than unglazed terracotta, but now we enter the realms of taste and I am reluctant to interfere with your planting style – even if blue ceramic pots are terribly 90s…

Peat-free composts need to be kept evenly moist at all times.

If they dry out, they shrink from the sides of the pot and re-wetting them can be difficult. I like to use a mixture of soil-based and peatfree compost, which tends to slow down the drying process and reduce shrinkage, as well as adding weight for stability.

When planting up containers, don’t fill them to the brim. Leave

Take advantage of Fred. Olsenís special 2022 offers

Fred. Olsenís smaller ships can sail through the narrow fjords of Norway

Take a tour of Monetís famous house and gardens

Monetís gardens

The scenic route From stunning scenery to unforgettable garden tours, you can immerse yourself in natural beauty with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines

Witness the beauty of Portugalís ëGarden Isleí

If you opt for a French cruise that stops in Rouen, donít miss the opportunity to visit Monetís house and gardens in Giverny. Upon arrival, youíll have a guided tour of the artistís home ñ which has been restored in recent years by the Claude Monet Foundation ñ and enjoy a viewing of his Japanese print collection.

After that, youíll head outside to see the flower garden, which has been replanted according to Monetís original designs, along with the famous Japanese-inspired water garden that appears in his paintings.

Experience Canada in all its autumnal glory

W

ith nearly 200 years of seafaring heritage, Fred. Olsen is a familyowned cruise line known for its expertly curated itineraries and smaller ships. Unlike larger vessels, the Fred. Olsen fleet can reach more interesting places, whether thatís sailing through narrow Norwegian fjords, or docking closer to the heart of beautiful cities. Plus, with fewer passengers on board, the crew can offer a more personal service throughout.

Every Fred. Olsen itinerary is crafted by a small team of passionate journey planners who believe the journey is just as important as the destination. Thatís why they include plenty of scenic cruising that goes far beyond the usual tourist trails. Many of the destinations are also bursting with natureís finest, so youíll be able to enjoy a range of seasonal events and garden tours. Here are just a few of the highlightsÖ

The Garden Isle

Canada in the fall

You wonít want to miss a cruise to Madeira ñ Portugalís ëGarden Isleí ñ where youíll stop at the capital, Funchal. First, youíll visit the pristine Palheiro Gardens, where youíll meet a local botanical enthusiast who will provide fascinating insights about the gardensí many plant varieties. Then youíll take part in an orchid workshop at a family-owned garden hotel called Quinta Jardins do Lago, where youíll learn how to pot and mount the plant at home. You can also visit the Monte Palace Tropical Garden in Funchal, which is home to more than 100,000 plant species.

Available on one of Fred. Olsenís newest ships, Borealis, this itinerary has been specially planned to allow you to experience Canadaís glorious autumn months firsthand. In less than three weeks, youíll be able to visit a range of national parks, including Forillon, the UNESCO-listed Gros Morne and the Saguenay Fjord. The ship will also sail through the Saguenay River, where you can appreciate the Canadian landscape in all its seasonal glory. Or you can take a tour to the Laurentian Mountains in Quebec for an even better view.

To find out more and book your cruise, visit fredolsencruises.com or call 0800 0355 027

slugline in here

BOOK NOW FOR THESE SPECIAL

offer

East Lambrook Manor

The Newt

Hestercombe

Explore the gardens of Somerset and Dorset 28 August-2 September – 5 days, 4 nights, from £995pp Enjoy our late-summer tour of the West Country’s beautiful gardens, local sights and food lunch in the Garden Café, then a talk and tour by the head gardener.

K DAY 4 Our first stop is the iconic cottage garden at East Lambrook HIGHLIGHTS Manor, then we visit Tintinhull K DAY 1 Arrive at Taunton’s Garden, with free time to relax.

Castle Hotel for welcome Finally we explore the magnificent drinks and three-course dinner. gardens at Hestercombe, where K DAY 2 Our first visit is to South we will also enjoy a three-course Wood Farm (opening exclusively), dinner with wine and a talk by then to picturesque Lyme Regis David Hurrion. for lunch (not included). Next it’s K DAY 5 We start with a visit to off to Mapperton House the organic gardens of Yeo and Gardens for a tour.

Valley Farm, followed K DAY 3 We join the head by the Bishop’s Palace gardener to discover Gardens in Wells, for the private gardens of individual exploration Batcombe House. Next and lunch. We then David Hurrion to The Newt for delicious return to our hotel.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

K Private visit and guided tour of Mapperton House and Gardens K Lunch, talk and garden visit at The Newt, Somerset

K Visit to Hestercombe with guided garden tour, prosecco welcome, three-course dinner and talk by David Hurrion

To discuss further details of the tour, or book your place, please call

020 7553 6945

quoting GOSJUL22 for Somerset and Dorset and quoting GORJUL22 for East of England

EXCLUSIVE OPENING FOR THIS TOUR

South Wood Farm

K Stay at the 4-star Castle Hotel in Taunton – 4 nights B&B K Welcome reception with talk and private three-course dinner

with wine on the first night K All talks, guided tours and admissions, with welcome talks as detailed and coach travel

Find out more about the trip at

GardenersWorld.com/somerset22

PLEASE NOTE: These are busy itineraries visiting some sizeable gardens and involving a considerable amount of walking, with little or no access to assistance. Please bear this in mind when booking these tours.

Terms & conditions: Holiday organised by and subject to booking conditions of Travel Editions Tours Ltd. Please note all timings are approximate and may be changed. Joining instructions sent 10-14 days prior to departure. In the case of unforeseen circumstances, experts may be substituted. Somerset/Dorset: single visitors welcome at a supplement from £248pp, £36 upgrade to a deluxe room.

East Of England: single visitors welcome at a supplement from £100 for single occupancy, £152 for double room with sole use. Additional night available on request.

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July 2022

PHOTOS: BELLA EADIE-PEROWNE-INTERNATIONAL; STEPHEN HAMILTON; JASON INGRAM

David Hurrion, GW Magazine’s Associate Editor, joins you on this scenic garden tour

slugline in here

BBC GARDENERS’ WORLD MAGAZINE EVENTS Boughton House

Adam Frost Barnsdale Gardens

Meet Adam on our East of England tour 7-11 August – 5 days, 4 nights, from £1,295pp Visit an array of wonderful gardens, with fascinating tours and talks You’ll be accompanied on this garden tour by David Hurrion, GW Magazine’s Associate Editor

Gardens, the former – and iconic – home of Gardeners’ World. Later we head to Elton Hall for a tour of the private gardens and free time HIGHLIGHTS to explore. Dinner at the hotel.

K DAY 1 Enjoy drinks and dinner at K DAY 4 We start at Redland your hotel near Rutland Water.

Lodge to enjoy its prairie planting.

K DAY 2 We head to Cottesbrooke Next to Boughton House for a Hall for a garden tour, then lunch. reception, lunch and talk with Q&A Next to the private garden of the

by Adam Frost. Then a garden tour.

Old Vicarage where you’ll meet its K DAY 5 We visit Easton Walled owner. Later enjoy drinks, dinner Garden and meet its owner and with wine and a talk by Nick the head gardener. Then on Hamilton, owner of to Burghley House to Barnsdale Gardens, visit the magnificent created by his father, house and tour the the late Geoff Hamilton. gardens. Relax over K DAY 3 Nick will welcome afternoon tea, then David Hurrion you to Barnsdale we return to the hotel.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

K Buffet lunch, talk and Q&A with Adam Frost, followed by an exclusive guided tour of Boughton House gardens

K Visit to Barnsdale, with a talk

by Nick Hamilton and lunch K Talks by head gardeners and owners at eight gardens K Four nights at three-star

Meet Arit at Highgrove 20 September 2022 – tickets £200pp Enjoy an exclusive Arit Anderson tour of Highgrove Gardens in Gloucestershire, the home of TRH The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, then a reception, three-course dinner and talk by Arit Anderson

YOUR ITINERARY

Old Vicarage

Barnsdale Lodge Hotel near Rutland Water K Four dinners and three lunches, plus afternoon tea at Burghley House, all included

GardenersWorld.com/ adam-east-england WE ARE COVID-SAFE – BOOK IN CONFIDENCE. Travel Editions have a comprehensive COVID plan in place to ensure your safety.

For more information, visit: traveleditions.co.uk/coronavirusinformationlink

July 2022

Quirky topiary in the Thyme Walk

K Arrive at 4.15pm K Guided tour of the gardens lasting about 90 minutes K Prosecco and canapés served on your return from the garden tour K Delicious, seasonal threecourse dinner served with Highgrove organic wines K Tea/coffee K Entertaining talk and Q&A

by Arit Anderson K All guests then depart with a goody bag

Terms & conditions: All profits from Highgrove Garden Tours are donated to The Prince’s Foundation

‘It’s a pleasure to be joining this exclusive trip in a region that’s so dear to me. The East of England has some of the finest gardens in the country’

Tickets cost £200pp – book now at

highgrovegardens.com/ GWAA2022 Places are limited, so book early to avoid disappointment. Dress code is smart casual.

Suitable footwear required for garden tour.

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unique & innovative

healthy & colourful

hardy

multiple seasons of interest easy to maintain

award winners

Buddleja Rocketstar® Indigo (‘SMNBDBT’)

A better garden starts with a better plant To get the best quality plants ask your local garden centre for PROVEN WINNERS® or look for the recognisable white container. www.provenwinners.eu

watering kit

Water-wise kit

To ensure you make the most of the water you use in your garden we’ve put together a guide to the products that will help you be as water-wise as you can  Spray guns A spray gun attached to the end of a hose gives you control when watering so that water only goes exactly where you want it to.

Most guns offer a range of different spray patterns, such as a mist option for watering seedlings or a shower spray for pots and borders, so you can choose the right one for the task at hand.

Guns that feature an aerated or bubble spray are particularly useful for reducing water use, and to be really water-wise look for a gun with an adjustable flow

option. Being able to adjust the amount of water that flows through the hose allows you to control the pressure as well as the volume of water you use.

Cheaper guns are often made from plastic that can break easily and degrade quickly, particularly if left outside all year round, so look for guns with metal components that will last longer than one season.

Some brands are also now making spray guns partly or entirely from recycled materials.

Adjustable spray guns allow you to control the volume of water you use

PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE; TIM SANDALL

 Watering cans

Opt for a watering can with two handles for better control when full

July 2022

A watering can may be more labour intensive than a hose, but it does make you more conscious of the amount of water you’re using.

You’re far less likely to waste water when you’re lugging a can back and forth from a tap, and the spout slows the flow of water so you’re less likely to splash or spill water as you pour. Cans with a long spout help you to aim water at the base of the plants so you’re watering plants right where they need it, at the roots.

For even more control look for a can with a detachable rose. Useful

for the gentle watering of seedlings and young plants, it will also ensure you don’t over water.

Large cans might be tempting but remember they will be heavy and cumbersome once full, but choosing a smaller, more comfortable can will mean more refills at the tap. Similarly, metal cans will last longer and can often be repaired or recycled, but plastic cans are lighter than metal. Opt for two handles, one at the top and one on the side of the can, to make heavy loads easier to carry, and a large opening to ensure easy filling.

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watering kit

 Irrigation systems An automated watering kit can save you time but will also help you save water. They accurately release a controlled amount of water and can be used with a timer to give you absolute control, even when you’re not around.

Drip irrigation, which is useful in containers, is made up of a series of tubes attached to a hose held in the soil or compost with spikes.

Water flows along the hose and is

then dripped from a nozzle directly onto the root zone of the plant.

Trickle systems deliver small amounts of water via a ‘leaky’ hose that is snaked around plants, either on the soil surface or buried just below. Both are useful when you’re on holiday but also all year round for thirsty crops and plants.

Irrigation kits come in all sizes with many of their components sold individually so you can add to and customise your system.

An automated irrigation system ensures accurate waste-free watering

 Water butts

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Designed to attach to an external wall they are lightweight and as you decide their exact position, provide flexibility on the height of the tap. If space is more limited slimline butts are also available.

Most water butts are made from plastic, but steel and wooden designs are also an option, with more expensive butts shaped like water barrels or stone urns adding a decorative touch.

To make your water butt blend in or become a feature in its own right look for ones with integrated fountains or planters in the top, such as the one pictured left.

 Water butt pump

Watering kit suppliers

A water butt pump helps you recycle the water you’ve collected in butts, tanks and paddling pools with a hose or irrigation system, rather than just a watering can.

Available as electric, either corded or cordless, the pump adds pressure to stored water saving you time and giving you the freedom you would get from a hose attached to the tap. Cordless pumps offer flexibility and eliminate the need for an outdoor power source, but you are tied to the run time of the battery.

With an electric corded pump make sure the cable

K hozelock.com

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will stretch to your outside plug otherwise you‘ll need to invest in an extension lead.

A pump with a timer is handy if you plan to connect to an irrigation system, and look for pumps that switch off automatically as water runs dry so you don’t damage the motor.

Manual pumps that rely on air pressure and gravity are also available, but these won’t have the same flow or spray projection as a pump.

Electric pumps enable stored water to be used through a hose

K gardena.com/uk K Westland gardenhealth.com K Claber diy.com K bosch-diy.com K kaercher.com/uk K haws.co.uk K Evengreener.com K Water Butts Direct waterbuttsdirect.co.uk

VISIT GardenersWorld.

com/reviews for in-depth tests on gardening products July 2022

IRRIGATION PHOTO: SEAN LADE/EASY GARDEN IRRIGATION

Water butts come in all shapes and sizes, and some include planters

Water butts connected to the down pipes from the roof of your house, shed, greenhouse or garage are an easy way to harvest and store rainwater, and ensure you use mains water as sparingly as you can.

Free standing, barrel-style butts are readily available from DIY stores and many are now made from recycled plastic for an environmentally friendly option.

Often supplied with a stand to make it easier to access the tap, they can take up a lot of room, so a wall-mounted butt is a good option in smaller gardens.

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Add fragrance and beauty to your garden with this duo of English lavenders. Highly attractive to bees, these plants are perfect for patio containers or grown as a low hedge or path edging.

Flowers Jul-Sep Height x Spread up to 60cm x 75cm Offer includes 12x plug plants (to 6cm high) of each of the following:  Lavender ‘Hidcote’  Lavender ‘Munstead’

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indoor plant care

Summer

house plant GUIDE

Rising horticultural star Joe Bagley shares his advice on how to keep your indoor greenery in tip-top condition this summer, whether you are at home or away

PHOTOS: JASON INGRAM

Having fun with plants doesn’t have to be kept to the garden or local allotment.

Embracing house plants can provide a wealth of indoor green-fingered adventures throughout the summer season and beyond. From taking 15 minutes to repot your favourite member of the clan, to eagerly waiting for your first orchid flower of the year, there’s always something to keep you on your toes when cultivating your very own gaggle of house plants.

But what happens when you lock the door to go on holiday for a well-earned break? Is it almost certain that your green pals will succumb to dehydration and drought and ultimately perish?

In this guide, I’ll share some nifty tips and tricks to keep your specimens in top condition throughout your time away – as well as suggestions for keeping them looking and performing at their best during this warm summer season.

Joe Bagley’s Viewer Video featured on Gardeners’ World and he was a presenter at Gardeners’ World Live in 2021. For more of Joe’s house plant expertise, visit ukhouseplants.com

July 2022

Easy to grow yet striking, cacti are a great house plant choice for beginners

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The idea of an always-impeccable house plant is something that we growers often fixate on. But it would be foolish to think that after countless months of painstaking photosynthesis an individual leaf could stay more or less perfect forever. Just like other living things, plants age over time – leaf tips will become crispy and edges may turn yellow or brown.

But besides accepting the fact that your house plant won’t always look flawless, what can you do to get the most out of your indoor greenery? Here are a few simple tricks and tips to keep them in good health.

again. As long as the plant is in a suitable-sized pot with drainage, you absolutely can’t cause root rot by over-drenching the compost – the primary cause will always be the frequency with which you water and letting your plant sit in a waterlogged pot.

Watering

Location and light

PHOTOS: JASON INGRAM

Over-watering is the number one killer of house plants. Well-meaning people often over-soak the compost until their unfortunate plant seems to literally swim. Then they find it slumped to one side, the root system having given up, in a fashion that often looks confusingly like it’s dying of thirst.

Potting mixes that are wet for too long will become anaerobic, meaning there is too little accessible oxygen for the root system to perform respiration, thus resulting in rot.

The best piece of advice that I can give is to drench the potting compost in between periods of slight drought. Waiting at least a few days before re-saturating is the most effective way of allowing oxygen to re-enter the potting mix, enabling the roots to breathe and recover

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Feeding

Nourishing your collection is another vital piece of the puzzle when raising a spectacular indoor oasis. Most of your plants will be at the peak of their growing performance in summer, so reward them with a balanced house plant feed every fourth watering or so.

It’s important to evaluate the site in which your plants are currently residing. Take a moment to check your collection when the sun reaches its full intensity. Now is the time to retrieve plants from south- or west-facing windows if they are looking a little on the scorched side. Relocate them to about 2m back from direct light, or at least to a northfacing window, to ensure they still receive a similar level of light to the one they’ve been accustomed to earlier in the year.

Pruning

Remove all yellowing or browning leaves now to help your plants focus on new summer growth. Also cut away any browned leaf tips or spent flowers to keep plants looking healthy.

Perk up dehydrated plants by giving them a good soak

GardenersWorld.com

Right plant, right place is key for house plants – these succulents like bright light

indoor plant care

Remove brown leaf tips to keep plants looking their best

Give regular liquid feeds throughout the growing season

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indoor plant care

Checking for pests

As our homes can quickly reach high temperatures at the height of summer, this is the perfect opportunity for pests such as red spider mites, mealybugs and thrips to spring into action by hatching in quick succession.

Inspect under the leaves, along the stems and in any nooks and crannies that may harbour an egg mass. Visit GardenersWorld.com/houseplants-aphids for advice on tackling aphids.

Repotting

Check if your green friend needs a new home to spread its wings and reach its full potential.

Signs that your house plant needs more root room include rapidly drying compost, a slower rate of new growth, tightly packed roots, a deformed pot or roots emerging through the drainage holes.

Choose a new pot that is just one size larger.

And use a potting mix specially formulated for the type of plant – usually a general house plant compost, but use specific potting mixes for cacti and succulents, and for carnivorous plants such as Venus flytraps.

Lift your plant and check for tightly bound roots – a sure sign it needs repotting

Summer holiday SOS

PHOTOS: ALAMY/PIXEL-SHOT; JASON INGRAM

To ensure your plants survive being home alone, group them into a close-knit bunch in a room that receives no direct sunlight. Stand them on a pebble tray on the floor, about 1.5m back from a north/east-facing window.

This ensures they still receive enough light and energy.

Give every plant a final drench before saying au revoir. A thorough watering over the sink should do the job. Another good way to hydrate is by placing the plant in a saucer or bowl and pouring water around the compost until the bowl begins

filling with water. Instead of pouring the excess away, leave the plant in the bowl for half an hour to let the compost re-absorb the moisture, before returning the plant to the group. Rainwater is always a better option for your house plants, so use water from a butt if you have one outdoors.

Keep your house plants cool as a cucumber while you’re away, if possible, as this will reduce the rate at which the compost dries out. Ideally keep the room temperature to about 15°C. But don’t let it drop too low, as cold temperatures may have adverse

effects such as yellowing leaf margins or the sudden loss of leaves or flowers.

For a longer holiday you may need a more bold and daring approach. Wick-watering is a fun and effective way to continue providing moisture to small plants (in pots less than 15cm in diameter) using the science of capillary action. Place a jar of water in the middle of your house plant collection, then measure the distance between each individual plant and the jar. With each measurement, add an extra 7.5cm to the distance, then cut a piece of

string to length. Place one end of the string 5cm into the jar and the other into the plant’s compost to about a third of the pot’s depth in the soil. Your plants will then wick up the water they need.

Other ideas for adding moisture include placing sheets of damp newspaper over the compost surface, standing a humidifier nearby and using drip-feeders, filling them with water to slowly provide moisture to the plant.

Note that this advice applies to most house plants – some, like succulents, can be left alone for short periods.

Tropical house plants like moisture and humidity, so group them together, mist the leaves or use an electric humidifier if you’re going away

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indoor plant care

Born survivors

If you’re new to growing house plants or have trouble keeping them happy, try building up your collection with these bulletproof beauties that are easy to love but hard to kill

Cast iron plant (Aspidistra)

Jewel orchid (Ludisia discolor)

Cape primrose (Streptocarpus)

Popular since the mid-19th century, aspidistras have long been a favourite in British homes due to their tolerance of low light and neglect.

Their relatively thick rhizomes and dark leaves enable these handsome plants to thrive in otherwise difficult locations.

A definite favourite among most orchid growers, this creeping crimson delight is certainly the eye-catching member of our list.

With its golden veins flashing across the nearblack foliage, this is the guy to go to if you’re one for unusual-looking specimens.

This traditional favourite is well suited for those who can be on the forgetful side when it comes to watering. Their juicy leaves and tender stems allow them to hold water for several weeks while still producing wonderful summer blooms in almost every colour imaginable!

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Mistletoe cactus (Rhipsalis) An excellent option for those wanting a no-fuss hanging plant, and there are several species with different looks to suit all homes. Their long stems cascade over the pot, offering the indoor gardener an architectural flash on any mantelpiece, shelf or skylight window.

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Zebra cactus (Haworthiopsis fasciata) Originating from the South African Cape, this sun lover is well adapted to going for weeks without rainfall. It’s the perfect companion for those seeking instant impact, even on the warmest of windowsills.

house plant guru and interior stylist Hilton Carter explaining how to choose indoor plants to suit your personality and how to use them to create a relaxing mood in your home. He offers both valuable styling advice and care tips.

GardenersWorld.com/podcast

VISIT GardenersWorld.Com/ house-plant-care for more secrets to house plant success July 2022

PHOTOS: GETTY/MERTKANTEKIN; SARAH CUTTLE; JASON INGRAM

LISTEN to

5HGH❧ QLQJ UH̼LUHPHQW At Inspired Villages, you can be part of a vibrant community where people who want to get the most out of life can do so together

T

he last two years have been testing to say the least. And while it hasnít been easy, it has prompted many of us to take a step back and re-evaluate exactly what it is thatís important. For some, that may mean spending more time in the garden or enjoying the great outdoors. If youíre over 65, it could mean making the move somewhere you can really get the most out of life, like the award-winning Inspired Villages. ìRetirement can be a time of great freedom, particularly if you live in a retirement village,î says James Cobb, Director of the retirement village operator and developer. ìNot only are you free from the responsibilities of young children and work, but if you ëright sizeí to one of our villages, you are no longer burdened with worries about maintaining a large home or security.î And with purchase, rent and shared ownership options available, you can be sure the life you aspire to is very much within easy reach.

%H ,QVSLUHG Inspired Villages more than delivers when it comes to creating a dream lifestyle for residents.

It currently operates six retirement villages in picturesque locations across the country, from

Devon up to Cheshire, with two more due to open this year ñ Ledian Gardens in Kent and Elderswell in Bedfordshire. Each village has stylish, discreetly age-appropriate apartments and cottages, beautifully landscaped gardens and state-ofthe-art facilities, including gyms, swimming pools, restaurants, libraries, cinemas and spas.

If you have green fingers, then youíre in luck.

Several villages have wildflower meadows and allotments for residents to enjoy. In Durrants Village in West Sussex, thereís also a tranquil lake, while Great Alne Park in Warwickshire has a grass amphitheatre used for concerts, talks and plays. The Inspired team also organise numerous events and activities throughout the year to help entertain residents. ìI feel healthier since moving to Austin Heath,î says resident Dorothy. ìEven though I had a walker, I wasnít able to go out in my old home, as I was scared I was going to fall and no one would pick me up. But I came here and started using it straightaway.î Dorothy has also taken advantage of the facilities and classes on offer, and now uses the gym twice a week, attends seated exercise classes and is learning to swim. ìCompared to two months ago, my children canít believe I am the same Dorothy. Iíve lost lots of weight.î

Ready to start planning your future? For more information, call or visit LQVSLUHGYLOODJHV FR XN

+RZ WR PDNH WKH PRVW RI \RXU UHWLUHPHQW Your later years can and should be the best of your life. Living in an Inspired Villages retirement community allows you to make the most of this stage. Here are just some of the benefits residents have enjoyed since moving into one of its beautiful homes:

• Freedom from property and garden l-bm|;m-m1; λ |_; |;-l âbѴѴ Ѵooh -[ ;u all that for you.

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• Meet new friends and enjoy fun hobbies λ |_;u; -u; -Ѵâ-ãv Ѵo|v o= -1 àb ;v ]obm] om -| |_; àb0u-m| àbѴѴ-];vΤ =uol hmbম m] to paddle-boarding.

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• Peace of mind for you and your family ñ the friendly Inspired team is always around to help if needed.

Growıng Greener

Professor Jeff Ollerton is a consulting scientist and writer, and visiting Professor at the University of Northampton

Support wildlife to boost diversity Our gardens, whether they’re tiny city yards or spacious rural retreats, have the power to reverse the decline in biodiversity, says Jeff Ollerton – all it takes is a few tiny changes

The wildlife that surrounds us has changed a great deal in the past 10,000 years. Much of that change is natural, as species come and go across the landscape, driven by unfathomable natural processes.

Did you realise, for example, that the collared dove was virtually unknown here prior to the 1950s? Something prompted its population to expand from the eastern Mediterranean and across the rest of Europe, until now, when it is one of our most familiar garden birds. Recent changes to wildlife, including the loss of insects and the near-extinction of other birds, are however due mainly to human

pressures on the environment.

There have been some success stories, including the reintroduction of the red kite and the chequered skipper butterfly, but the balance is still negative and we continue to lose biodiversity at an alarming rate.

Why should this matter to gardeners?

What does it have to do with us?

We all have an environmental impact, but that also means our actions can make a big difference

It matters for several reasons. All of us are part of the problem: we all have an impact on the environment, but that also means our actions can make a big difference. More fundamentally, our society relies on nature for our health and wellbeing, and for our economy, in very tangible ways.

Some of the actions that gardeners may take for granted, such as using peat-based composts, bug sprays and herbicides, have direct and indirect impacts on wildlife. Although retailers are phasing it out, peat is still widely used in the horticultural trade. Much of this is imported from eastern Europe, where the destruction of peat

Greener facts L An estimated 70% of

insect ‘pests’ spend part of their lifecycle in the soil. Robins are attracted to gardeners at work because they know we’re likely to disturb the soil, allowing them to feed.

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July 2022

growing greener bogs impacts local wildlife and releases stored carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Using chemicals to kill pests and weeds may make your garden tidier, but it also removes important nectar and pollen plants that are needed by bees and other pollinators, as well as the insects and seeds that are food for birds.

This sounds a little depressing, but the role of a gardener can also have a positive effect. This is most obvious in towns and cities, where gardens act as green oases. But gardens are also invaluable in rural areas, where they may be the most wildlife-friendly habitats in an otherwise intensively farmed landscape. And it doesn’t have to be a large plot of land: even a small window box, hanging basket or tub, if planted with the right kind

of flowers, can make a local difference to pollinators.

A healthy, thriving garden is one that’s full of birds that eat the pests, humming with insects that pollinate our crops, and bursting with wild plants that provide food for those pollinators and birds. It’s a garden that has year-round interest – what could be more beautiful in winter than colourful goldfinches and perky dunnocks taking advantage of the seeds that our plants have left behind?

A garden like this is an ecosystem, part-natural and part human-made.

It’s something that people have been doing for thousands of years, and by being pro-active about the wildlife in our garden, we’re helping to ensure that this wildlife will still be around for our descendants long into the future.

Wildlife needs water Kate Bradbury, GW Wildlife Editor and member of our Growing Greener panel, explains why water matters All species need to take in water, while birds need it to bathe in, and aquatic insects and amphibians use it for breeding.

Summer is no longer the only typically dry season; the last two springs have seen few ‘April showers’.

Drought-stressed plants produce less nectar, and if leaves shrivel, caterpillars suffer, too. This has effects up the food chain, and any

check in the breeding cycle can start species on the slippery road to extinction.

There’s plenty you can do. Keep bird baths topped up and leave a water dish for mammals. Use your water butt to top up your pond, and grey water to keep your plants producing nectar. Popping a large stone in a bird bath will help protect insects in search of a drink, too.

Greener facts L Some pest controls, such

as those derived from pyrethrum, still harm wildlife, despite being classed as organic.

L Herbicides kill weeds,

ILLUSTRATION: ELIN BROKENSHAW

insecticides kill insects and fungicides control fungal diseases: using th the wrong one is pointless.

July 2022

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IMPROVING WILDLIFE DIVERSITY It’s not hard to make simple changes to our gardens and create places of value for the wild creatures in our neighbourhoods. Get started now with a few modifications that will encourage more creatures to visit and stay.

92

Take it to another level

Feed the locals

Give them succulent treats

Increase the vertical physical structure in your garden by having as many levels of planting as you can, from high to low. Greater physical diversity increases the number of animals that can find food, nesting sites, and places to roost. A lawn alone, on the other hand, may attract just starlings and wood pigeons.

TOP TIP Add some shrubs and you might also get blue tits and house sparrows; taller trees will encourage song thrushes and great tits to make an appearance in your garden.

Surprising as it seems, the leaves of most non-native plants are inedible to local leafeating insects, unless they are closely related to a native plant; for example, the caterpillars of the spectacular privet hawk moth (above) will feed on both European and Japanese privet, as well as a range of other plants.

TOP TIP Strike a healthy balance between exotic, non-native plants and the wild, native species that often spontaneously pop up, self-seeded in your garden.

In containers, use hardy succulents such as sedums: they’re easy to maintain and create small patches of year-round habitat for insects that can be picked over by winter-foraging birds. They also only require watering during a prolonged drought, and provide pollinators with nectar and pollen when they flower.

TOP TIP To maintain interest in the container, plant three or four different types of sedum, including early- and late-flowering varieties, with different growth habits.

Learn to love wasps

Build a hedgehog highway

Give nature a home this winter

Wasps are important pollinators of many plants late in the season, and they eat a lot of common garden pests such as caterpillars and aphids.

TOP TIP Throw away your wasp trap – all it does is attract more wasps to the garden. A better way of reducing their annoyancefactor is to cover food and drinks if you’re eating outdoors.

Consider how accessible your garden is to animals such as hedgehogs and amphibians – you’d be amazed at how good these animals are at climbing! Hedgehogs can certainly scramble a couple of feet through a dense bush and up over a low wall, while common toads are sometimes encountered in tree hollows and nest boxes some distance off the ground.

TOP TIP Leave or create spaces beneath fencing to allow them to pass under, or plant dense hedging close to boundary walls.

Animals will be in your garden for 12 months of the year, so think about how you can structure your garden to provide food and shelter all year round. For example, evergreens such as holly and common ivy will provide nectar and pollen in their flowers, then edible berries, and – come winter – a cosy refuge from storms. And don’t worry about ivy killing trees; a healthy tree will always grow faster than the ivy.

TOP TIP Leave ivy where possible, and watch it support wildlife in your garden.

GardenersWorld.com

July 2022

growing greener

Greener facts

How to sow common foxgloves for pollinators

L Zoologist Jennifer Owen counted

2,600 species of animal in her ordinary, suburban garden.

L Animals, plants and soil are part

Like many native plants, common foxgloves are valuable for many pollinators, particularly bumblebees, moths and honeybees. With their showy blooms they are excellent garden plants, but while their fower heads are large, their seeds are tiny, making sowing a little tricky. Now is a good time to get them started.

of the carbon cycle, which keeps carbon locked up, out of the air.

To give the fine seeds the best chance to germinate well, fill a pot or tray with peat-free compost, then create a fine tilth to sow on to by sieving a little compost over the top. Take care to sow the seeds evenly by tapping the open seed packet gently to gradually tease out the seeds, or flick them from your open palm over the surface.

Rein in the chickens

Heap on the wildlife benefits Compost heaps are one of the most biodiverse areas of any garden, full of insects, woodlice, worms, spiders, fungi and bacteria, all working together to create organic material for your soil.

These form a food web of hundreds of species that in turn are eaten by birds, amphibians and small mammals.

TOP TIP No matter how small it is, try to find space for a compost heap in your garden. Find out how to make a compost bin on p108.

July 2022

ILLUSTRATION: ELIN BROKENSHAW. PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE; PAUL DEBOIS; GETTY/KRISTIAN BELL/ GEORGECLERK/JOANNAKACZUK/MILKROMAN6/MIKE POWLES; JASON INGRAM

If you keep chickens and grow your own food, it’s tempting to allow them to forage over a vegetable bed to eat all the pests in the soil.

But in fact, the majority of soil invertebrates are harmless and many are beneficial: for example, slug-eating beetles and soilconditioning earthworms. Unfortunately, chickens don’t distinguish between the things they should eat and the things they shouldn’t!

TOP TIP If you keep chickens, don’t let them run free in your garden.

Water the pot or tray by placing it in a tray of water until the water soaks up to the surface.

This way, the seed won’t be displaced.

Label the pot, and then keep the compost just damp.

A sheet of glass balanced on the pot helps prevent the compost drying out without reducing light, which the seeds need to germinate.

Your plants will flower in late spring or early summer. Once the seedlings have grown large enough to handle, prick them out into their own pots to give each one more space, and grow them on. In autumn, plant them out at 50cm spacing in their final position, and watch as they send up huge flower spikes next spring.

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growing greener Blue tits can have up to 16 chicks, so they are hungry feeders

Don’t kill my dinner, please Garden birds such as robins, goldfinches, house sparrows, blackbirds and blue tits provide a great example of how different types of wildlife support each other throughout the food chain, and why all wildlife diversity is valuable.

The British Trust for Ornithology reckons that a blue tit chick can eat the equivalent of 100 caterpillars a day. A typical garden nest box might have 10 chicks, and boxes can have as many as 16 chicks, so those busy parents could be on the look-out for 1,600 caterpillars daily: that’s why these birds are so busy in the spring!

Many of the insects that garden birds feed to their young, including aphids and caterpillars, are common pests of garden plants. So, if we poison these insects with pesticides, we’re depriving our birds of food.

When we adopt greener gardening practices, we help both the wildlife in our garden and the wild world outside our gardens. The benefits are multiple – a healthier garden through natural pest-control, a more interesting outside space where we can discover the fascinating world of insects, birds and amphibians, and a rich open restaurant for the pollinators that are so vital for the world’s food supply. We don’t always understand the function of a creature in the ecosystem but it could play a vital part in a food chain, or have an important symbiotic relationship with another animal. And it’s not just our gardens in isolation that matter: adjacent gardens can help to form corridors for creatures that need to travel safely.

HEAR

about how we can make a difference, with Arit Anderson on sustainable gardening at GardenersWorld. com/podcast

Go to: GardenersWorld.com/growing-greener COMING UP in Growing Greener

Cut holes in the base of fences so wildlife can move easily between gardens

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L AUGUST Plan more, waste less Discover how thinking ahead can save waste, reduce excess and help the planet L SEPTEMBER Plastic’s not fantastic Convenient but polluting plastic has taken over our gardens. Find out how to replace

it with more sustainable materials, and why it’s a big part of our carbon footprint L OCTOBER The recycle of life Dead plants are the most essential ingredient in your compost heap. Learn how and why to recycle your clippings and revive your soil

July 2022

ILLUSTRATION: ELIN BROKENSHAW. PHOTOS: GETTY/NIGELDOWSETT/MTREASURE

Growıng Greener

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Day 1. London & Le Bugue Meet at London St Pancras and take the Eurostar to Paris. Continue to Le Bugue, a pretty riverside town in the Dordogne Valley.

Le Bugue remains mostly untouched by tourism, and spending time here offers a wonderful insight into this part of France.

Days 2-3. Dordogne cruise, Château des Milandes & Le Bugue Take to the waters at La Roque-Gageac for a traditional Gabare boat cruise along the Dordogne, soaking up beautiful river views.

Continue to Château des Milandes, the sumptuous former home of Josephine Baker, a star of Parisian cabaret in the roaring 20s. Day 3 is free to get to know Le Bugue at your own pace. There’s also the chance to join a game of petanque.

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Your

wildlife month

PHOTOS: PAUL DEBOIS; ALAMY/IMAGEBROKER; GETTY/JETFOTO

July is a meeting of the seasons. There are lush borders bursting with life, baby blackbirds on the lawn by day and the patter of little hedgehog feet at night.

Lift a leaf or a log and you may find tiny frogs and toads sheltering beneath them. At the same time, dragonflies and damselflies are just starting to lay eggs in the pond, grasshoppers are wooing mates in the long grass and, in the compost heap, slow worms are getting ready to ‘give birth’.

It’s hard to believe, but with all the babies and the egg-laying, some queen bumblebees will already be entering hibernation. Enjoy these precious final moments of summer, because autumn is being whispered on the wind. WORDS KATE BRADBURY

96

Smooth newt, Lissotriton vulgaris The smooth, or common, newt is greyish brown, with a black-spotted yellow-orange belly. In the breeding season, males develop a crest along the length of their body, when they’re sometimes confused with great-crested newts, which are bigger and have darker, wartier skin. They eat frog tadpoles, crustaceans and molluscs in ponds, while on land they devour insects, caterpillars, worms and slugs.

Smooth newts breed from April to June in ponds. The male uses his tail to ‘waft’ pheromones to the female, who then chooses whether or not to pick up a packet of sperm (known as a spermatophore) he has left for her, with which she fertilises her eggs. She then lays them individually, wrapping them in the folded leaf of plants like brooklime and water forget-me-not.

Newt tadpoles have feathery gills behind their head, which they use for breathing. They lose these gills just before they leave the pond for

GardenersWorld.com

Spot rose chafers feeding on roses

the first time – around now – when they stop being ‘tadpoles’ and are simply ‘efts’.

Also be on the lookout for…  Swifts, flying around rooftops with their young. Enjoy them now as they’ll be gone next month!  Goldfinches, which are still breeding and could have young in the nest as late as September.  Rose chafers, the iridescentgreen beetles, will be feeding on roses and other flowers.

And don’t miss...

The Big Butterfly Count, 15 Jul to 7 Aug. Visit: bigbutterflycount.org

Smooth newts are often found in damp areas under logs and rocks

July 2022

wildlife

Smooth newts eat tadpoles, crustaceans and molluscs in ponds, and caterpillars, insects and slugs on land

July 2022

GardenersWorld.com

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Fresh from the plot

Rekha embraces the many joys of July, as she continues to reap the rewards of her hard work. This month she shares a recipe for a delicious courgette and poppy seed loaf

I

f only I could live on the allotment this month. Glorious days filled with hazy sunshine, the warm scent of sweet peas and a cool, refreshing cordial on standby for well-earned breaks.

July’s late sunsets are a joy. I can spend the whole day on the plot and return home only when I need to sleep. These long days are filled with such blissful moments, too.

Watering, deadheading and frolicking among the plants… otherwise known as weeding!

When my eyes spot the bean poles, now laden with pods and flower racemes intertwining with nasturtiums, it’s like a bear hug from a long-lost friend.

Pollinators will flock to flowering borage

My absolutely favourite plants to watch are borage. Their purple, star-shaped, nectar-filled flowers

provide a round-the-clock pit stop for pollinators. I can just imagine the bees saying “one last sip then I’m off”. Did you know that borage flowers refill with nectar within minutes? It’s no wonder the bees keep coming back, this is a well stocked larder.. And I love the small yet perfectly formed beetroot nudging their way out of the soil, vying for my attention – I see you.

As summer produce starts to arrive, I reach for the winter vegetable seed packets of cabbage, cauliflower and kale. Although the thought of cold makes me shudder, my glass of rhubarb and lemon balm cordial reminds me that it is a while off yet. Cheers, July.

PHOTOS: PAUL DEBOIS; GETTY/SCISETTIALFIO

How I grow Courgettes

98

It would have been easy to get carried away back in April, sowing tons of teardrop-shaped courgette seeds into individual pots. But three plants are more than enough to feed an average-sized family. In the greenhouse they can take up to 10 days to germinate, but the moment they do, they’ll quickly fill the 9cm pots I started them in. Within weeks they are moved into the cold frame and I begin keeping an eye out for slug trails. As a precaution, I always set a small plant tray filled with beer nearby to lure them.

By mid-May, these strong, sturdy plants are ready to be planted in an area enriched with homemade compost and some straw. This straw helps retain moisture around the plants’ roots, especially during hot summers. When June arrives, I start a once-fortnightly feed as soon as I see the first flower buds ready to burst open.

By now, July, the plants have started to produce fruit. I much GardenersWorld.com

prefer to harvest them when they are no bigger than 15 to 20cm long.

Be warned: certain dark-green varieties can camouflage themselves well – I’ll often only notice the monstrous fruit by the time it starts poking out from under a leaf. No matter the size, slugs will always rasp onto them so to avoid any disappointment, I place another beer trap when planting out.

VARIETIES TO TRY

I love to grow ‘Firenze’, an openhabit bush variety with the added bonus that it has few spines. This variety will do well in small gardens, too. ‘Black Forest’ is another climbing variety I love to grow.

Although it requires a sturdy climbing frame for support, it’s well worth the fuss for the prolific yield. Or, how about ‘Zephyr’, an attractive pale-yellow courgette with green tips? It holds a firm texture and will stand out in a harvest trug.

ABOVE Place beer traps near the plants that slugs love and replenish often RIGHT The unusual ‘Zephyr’ looks great on the plot as well as the plate

July 2022

rekha’s kitchen garden

TOP TIP Leaves can succumb to mildew, so avoid watering from above. When it starts to rain, remove and compost affected leaves immediately to minimise spread.

July 2022

GardenersWorld.com

99

rekha’s kitchen garden

Courgette and poppy seed loaf This moreish, moist cake makes an exquisite summertime treat MAKES 8 TO 10 SLICES K 175g light-brown sugar K 125ml sunflower oil K 3 large eggs K 1 tsp lemon extract K 1 tbsp poppy seeds (plus extra to sprinkle) K 350g courgettes, freshly grated and squeezed K 300g self-raising flour METHOD 1 Preheat oven to 180°C . Lightly oil and line a 1kg loaf tin.

2 Whisk together the sugar, oil, eggs and lemon extract.

3 Stir in the poppy seeds and the grated courgette.

4 Sift and fold in the flour until it is incorporated into the courgette mix.

5 Spoon into the lined tin and bake for 40-45 mins. Insert a skewer to check it is cooked through. If it comes away clean, it’s done. If not, bake for a further 10 mins and check until it is fully cooked through.

6 Cool on a rack and cut into generous slices. Serve with poppy seed-topped whipped cream or crème fraîche.

July’s allotment plan SOW

PHOTOS: PAUL DEBOIS; GETTY/ITHINKSY, LETTY17

n Daikon and Spanish Black radishes

n n

Sow in shallow rows once the second-early potatoes are cleared. Thin out to 5cm when the first set of true leaves appear. Keep the seedlings well-watered during the summer heat for a harvest from September onwards.

Beetroot seeds Continue to successionally sow. ‘Chioggia’ is always a crowd pleaser in early autumn.

Maincrop peas A second direct sowing of a variety like ’Hurst Greenshaft’ will benefit from the warm soil.

You’ll then be able to harvest in early September, just as autumn arrives.

HARVEST

n Pull up any beetroot that’s slightly smaller

n

n

than a tennis ball with a gentle tug. This will help to make room for younger plants.

Roast whole, peel and serve with crumbled feta cheese and a tahini dressing.

Pick the last of the spring-sown peas that will now be coming to an end. Any ripe, floury fresh peas will make a great addition to a minestrone soup.

Snip dill tips and fronds before the plants produce their beautiful umbels of yellow flowers. Finely dice and toss into a mix of couscous, cucumber, steamed French beans and nasturtium petals.

JOBS

n Cut back the fruited canes of summer-fruiting raspberry varieties and tie in the new canes that will produce next year’s crop. n Continue to stay on top of watering duties and look out for flagging plants.

Anything in a container may need watering once a day. n Thin out any apples, sticking to two to three fruits per spur. This ensures a good medium to large-sized fruit. n Check regularly for pest and diseases and treat them accordingly.

NEXT MONTH Rekha shares her sweetcorn know-how and bakes savoury scones, served with a zingy raita 100 GardenersWorld.com

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Bounty on a budget

PHOTO: JASON INGRAM

PART 3 Continuing her new six-part series, expert grower Sally Nex looks at how to help your crops cope with summer heat, save more rainwater and make your own valuable compost Dreamy evenings pottering among your plants, the sun still warm on your shoulders and all the fresh-picked, garden-raised food you can eat – it’s beginning to feel a lot like midsummer, quite the nicest time to be a veg gardener.

There are a few clouds in that azureblue summer sky though. It can be hard work keeping plants happy through climate-change-induced heatwaves, so this month we’re sharing climateproofing strategies to help your crops cope without costing the Earth.

Sowing wisely keeps your harvests on track, taking a break from heat-sensitive salads and switching to more resilient, drought-tolerant crops instead. Boost rainwater supplies cheaply, and expand your composting for free.

Follow my step-by-step guide to make a compost bin from pallets and scrap timber, ready to convert your green waste into rich mulch that will lock in precious rainwater where it’s needed, around the roots of your plants.

102 GardenersWorld.com

July 2022

sustainable veg Apply a thick, moisture-retentive mulch around thirsty crops like peas, to reduce the need for watering

It can be hard keeping plants happy through climate-change-induced heatwaves, but we’re sharing strategies to help your plants cope without costing the Earth July 2022

GardenersWorld.com 103

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5366

sustainable veg

PHOTOS: JASON INGRAM

Ready to pick This month the focus switches from sowing and planting to gathering in the summer bounty.

At last you can turn your back on pricey plasticpacked shop-bought fruit and veg and pile your plate every day with garden-fresh food instead.

Everything you’ve been working so hard to plant and tend is now paying you back by the bowlful. The first peas (mangetouts and podding) are ready to pick, as well as tomatoes, courgettes, beans, carrots and second-early potatoes, plus tart blackcurrants, sweet strawberries and plump loganberries. In fact it can be an effort to keep up! So make a date with your patch twice weekly to pick everything that’s ready, freezing whatever you can’t eat straight away.

This is particularly important for courgettes and climbing beans, because if the fruits get over-mature then production stops. Pick courgettes when small, no more than 15cm long, and runner and French beans while they’re still slim, smooth and melt-in-the-mouth tender.

July 2022

Above: Tomatoes ripen at different times along the truss, so check regularly and harvest at peak ripeness Right: Protect your blackcurrants from birds, to ensure there are plenty for you to enjoy in summer desserts

GardenersWorld.com 105

sustainable veg

PHOTOS: NEIL HEPWORTH; JASON INGRAM

Sow it now You may find you’re in the kitchen as often as in the garden at this time of year, but there’s still plenty to sow. Veg growers always have one eye on what to pick next, so namby-pamby summer salads have had their day – they’ll only get too hot and bolt if you sow them now, wasting your time and resources.

What you need for this time of year is the spicy, sophisticated flavours of late-season salads. Mizuna, mustard, Chinese cabbage and pak choi are tough and resilient, growing best as the days get shorter. Sow in pre-watered drills or into newspaper modules ready for refilling beds and containers after the summer bonanza is over.

Add a row of subtly peppery mooli (winter radishes), for satisfyingly fat, long roots, and perhaps some chicory (sugarloaf chicories are less bitter than most and grow like big Cos lettuces). Sow in containers or direct in the ground, a few seeds every 30cm, then remove all but the strongest seedlings to grow on.

Sow winter radishes, which mature slowly, for harvesting from autumn onwards

Old cattle troughs look far better than plastic water butts and make filling your watering cans easier – just dip them in

Plan ahead Mint, marjoram, basil and chives are growing faster than you can use them, so harvest the surplus and freeze them now, so you’ll have winter supplies of fresh herbs on hand. Chop finely and mix into a paste with olive oil, then pack into ice-cube trays and freeze. Decant the cubes into plastic bags once frozen – one cube equals about a tablespoon of fresh herbs.

High summer is also a stress test for rainwater-harvesting systems. If you’re finding yourself turning on the tap more often than you’d like, bolster your storage capacity now to catch any summer downpours and improve your resilience next year. Second-hand cattle troughs are usually cheaper than water butts and are plastic-free. They hold huge volumes of water and come in a range of sizes. Make simple wooden lids to keep the water clean, and just dunk your watering cans for an instant refill.

July 2022

GardenersWorld.com 107

sustainable veg

Make it yourself: compost bin Turn three old pallets and some scrap timber into a large compost bin, to transform your garden waste into valuable compost for little or no cost

The ability to see the potential in what may look like a large heap of rubbish is an essential skill for planet-friendly, low-cost gardening. Old, discarded pallets are the perfect material for making an eco-friendly compost bin, and doing so will save you some serious money – a brand new wooden compost bin could set you back £50-£180. But you can build one from recycled pallets and scrap timber almost for free. Look out for unstamped pallets, as these are locally made and untreated.

3

FIX 5cm x 5cm batons vertically to the inside front edges, in pairs. Leave a gap between them wide enough to slot in planks.

1

CHOOSE pallets of equal size, so they’ll fit together easily without any re-shaping.

You’ll need three – one for the back and one for each of the two sides.

JOIN the pallets together using pieces of scrap timber. Screw them firmly into place across the corners, at both the top and bottom.

4

5

SAW new or recycled planks to length, so you can slide them into the slot to make a removable front for your bin.

2

FILL with grass clippings, straw, plant stems – whatever organic matter you have, to make compost for your garden.

 Make your own potting mix Blend three parts of home-made compost, two of soil, one of leafmould and one of sand, plus a trowelful of seaweed meal per barrowload – it’s low cost, low plastic and peat free.  Build a wormery These are great for recycling kitchen scraps

in small spaces. They’re easy to make from recycled plastic or wooden boxes: stand on legs, then drill a hole in the base to drain off worm juice (aka free liquid plant feed).  Grow crops in compost bins Get turbo-powered growth without forking out for extra feed. Plant

pumpkins, squash or tomatoes into pockets of potting mix in the top of a full compost bin.  Turn prunings into paths Shred prunings into woodchips, to lay as free paths on your veg plot.  Make a dead hedge Instead of spending time and fuel hauling branches to the tip, stack between

two rows of posts and leave to rot slowly. They’ll return carbon to the soil and create a haven for wildlife.  Water via clay pots Sink second-hand terracotta pots into the soil beside thirsty courgettes and pumpkins,then fill with water to direct moisture straight to the roots without any evaporating.

NEXT MONTH Sally continues her budget-friendly eco-series with tips on growing healthy food and saving your own seeds 108 GardenersWorld.com

July 2022

PHOTOS: JASON INGRAM

More thrifty eco projects

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July

Growing guide

Fill any gaps with catch crops of quick-growing salad leaves, or prepare for winter veg Sow indoors

Plant/sow outdoors

Harvest

Key crops for July

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Beetroot Just as much a food superhero as kale; the darker the colour, the richer in protective, goodfor-you compounds. Juice, grate, steam or roast.

Tips Dig in plenty of garden compost before sowing to enrich the soil. Water regularly to help the roots 2.5cm deep Final spacing 15cm apart 23-30cm between rows swell. Sow

Calabrese This one’s quick to grow, but is loaded with healthy phytochemicals including kaempferol, which has anti-inflammatory benefits.

Tips Use fine-mesh netting to protect these brassicas from cabbage butterflies. After harvesting, water 2cm deep Final spacing 45cm apart 45cm between rows to encourage a second crop. Sow

Chinese cabbages Supplying soluble and insoluble fibre to maintain digestive health, these low-calorie leaves are a useful source of healthy phytonutrients.

Tips The roots are shallow, so water little and often. Harvest the head but leave the stump and another 2cm deep Final spacing 30cm apart 45cm between rows smaller cabbage should form. Sow

Coriander Rich in potassium, folate and vitamin C, coriander partners well with fish, meat and vegetables.

Add towards the end of cooking for best flavour.

Tips Coriander likes free-draining but moist soil. Sow small batches every few weeks for fresh leaves all 1cm deep Final spacing 15cm apart 30cm between rows summer. Harvest the seeds too. Sow

Corn salad (lamb’s lettuce) Packed with beta-carotene, which the body uses to support immunity, promote eye health and help maintain a youthful complexion.

Tips Sow every few weeks for a continuous supply all year round. Cover with fleece or cloches to keep 1cm deep Final spacing 10cm apart 15cm between rows plants cropping over winter. Sow

Florence fennel With edible leaves, bulb and stalks, fennel adds flavour to dishes and is full of bone-friendly nutrients like potassium and calcium.

Tips If you sow seeds now, rather than in spring, the plants are less likely to bolt. Earth up soil around the 3cm deep Final spacing 30cm apart 30cm between rows bulbs as they develop. Sow

French beans – dwarf Providing carotenoids such as beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, levels increase when beans are cooked. Serve with butter or oil.

Tips Support with twiggy sticks. Lay a thick layer of garden compost around plants to suppress weeds and 5cm deep Final spacing 15cm apart 23cm between double rows hold moisture in the soil. Sow

Spinach High in protective antioxidants and polyphenols, spinach may benefit the liver, especially when eaten raw. Serve as a salad or side.

Tips Keep plants well watered in hot weather to prevent bolting. Cover with fine netting to protect leaves 2.5cm deep Final spacing 20cm apart 45cm between rows from insects and birds. Sow

Swiss chard Vitamin C and magnesium are found in the leaves, whilst the stems are high in potassium.

Enjoy raw in a salad, lightly steam or sauté.

Tips Sow in moist, well-drained soil and keep plants well watered in summer. Harvest leaves regularly to 2.5cm deep Final spacing 30cm apart 45cm between rows encourage more to grow. Sow

Turnips A source of flavonoids: these protective plant compounds, including quercetin, guard against UV damage and act as natural antihistamines.

Tips Sow in partial shade and keep the soil moist to encourage germination. Start harvesting baby roots 2cm deep Final spacing 25cm apart 30cm between rows when 5cm in diameter. Sow

VISIT GardenersWorld.com/what-to-do-now for more advice on the best crops to sow and plant this month, and how to do it. offer

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Call 0844 573 6054* Go to thompson-morgan.com/TM_GW89 Please add £5.99 P&P Items despatched from July. Offer closes 15/08/22. Contract for supply of goods is with Thompson & Morgan. Offer subject to availability.

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July 2022

GardenersWorld.com 111

YOUR PRUNING MONTH Frances Tophill shows you how to boost your plants’ productivity and health with a high-summer cut

PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE; JASON INGRAM LOCATION: WEST DEAN GARDENS, W SUSSEX

In July, although the solstice has passed, it still feels like the summer is building up. Everything is growing so fast and temperatures can be really high. Rainfall is also often low at this time of year, which does mean that our gardens can begin to look like they’re tiring.

We often think of a ‘June gap’, but there can also be a ‘July gap’. The early-summer flowers are fading and the late-summer ones are yet to come. But that makes this an easy time of year to get out the secateurs, loppers and shears and give things a bit of a tidy-up.

Unruly climbers and shrubs can be snipped back into shape and the high-summer prune can begin for those of us keen to get on. Evergreens can be shaped (after making sure there’s no resident wildlife), giving new growth plenty of time to get ready for the cold of winter. Also – because summer pruning reduces growth rather than encourages it, as in the case of winter pruning – non-fruiting shoots can be removed from trained fruit such as pears.

Birds are still nesting so check plants before you start any work

Frances on TV Catch up with Frances and the rest of the Gardeners’ World team this month at 9.30pm on Fri 1, 9pm on Thurs 7, 8pm on Thurs 21, and 8.30pm on Fri 29 July.

112 GardenersWorld.com

July 2022

your pruning month

Other plants to prune now Midsummer is a good time for all of these jobs, but the month of July is ideal – the fresh new growth that follows from these cuts will have plenty of time to toughen up before the first frosts of winter arrive

WISTERIA Prune off all the long, whippy stems now, to about seven buds. A harder prune follows in January or February.

PLUMS Cut diseased, dead or dying stems from established trees back to a healthy bud. Be aware you will probably remove some fruit.

BAY If you keep your bay tree clipped, prune it now, cutting back to a bud facing in the direction you want it to grow. Dry the clippings for cooking.

PHILADELPHUS Prune straight after flowering.

Remove up to a third of the stems at the base to allow light and air into the centre of the shrub.

Don’t prune these now ✗ ✗

Check-up time Take a moment to inspect plants you pruned in earlier seasons. This forsythia is recovering well from its winter rejuvenation pruning, with plenty of healthy new growth this summer, some of which will flower next spring.

July 2022

SHRUBBY CORNUS Cutting these back now will deprive you of lovely, colourful stems in the winter. Instead, do this in March.

WILLOW Similar to cornus, pruning now will remove winter colour. You’ll also have no stems for planting whips in the dormant season.

PARROTIA As with all plants grown for their autumn colour, preserve the foliage for a vibrant display in just a few months.

AUTUMN RASPBERRIES Not to be confused with summer-fruiting cultivars, which can be pruned back just after they have fruited. Confusing the two different types of raspberry plant could mean no autumn crop to eat.

✗ ✗

Leave the stems of shrubs like Cornus alba ‘Atrosanguineus’ for a stunning winter display

GardenersWorld.com 113

your pruning month

Pruning a wall-trained cordon pear cordons, which can quickly lose their compact shape and become overcrowded, so it’s a good idea to give them their principal pruning in the summer, when the cuts you make will restrict, rather than encourage further growth.

This is the opposite of bush forms, which usually receive their main cut in the winter.

July pruning allows fruits to ripen more quickly and staves off pests and diseases

Step by step

1

FEEL the stems to double-check that they are firm up to about a third of the way up.

Then look for stems that are longer than 20cm.

Anything shorter will likely produce fruit, and should be left alone.

2

CUT with sharp secateurs to just above the third set of leaves, counting from where the fresh, new shoot meets older wood. If possible, cut at an angle – this stops water from collecting on the wounded wood and causing disease.

3

REMOVE any vigorous growth shooting from below the graft union when pruning any grafted fruit tree. You can see the graft by a bulge in the main stem. Anything growing from beneath that point will be from the root stock.

Top tip

Also prune this way…

After pruning any fruit tree it’s a good idea to spend a little time thinning the fruit. Removing a little fruit is a really good way of relieving the tree’s nutrient and weight burden.

Not thinning now might result in stems snapping under the weight of the ripening fruit.

Also, the tree will be forced to spread water and nutrients available to it more thinly, resulting in smaller and poorer individual fruits. Keep one or two fruits in any cluster, and the crop at the end of the season will be much healthier.

L Trained apples can be pruned like this, though this will usually be a month or so later.

Delaying until late August reduces secondary growth from the cuts, helping to stop new foliage from covering up the fruits from sunlight and slowing down the ripening process.

L Trained cherries will be pruned in the same way, too. However, make sure you wait until the cherry harvest is over, and that you’ve left a little grace for the birds to have their fill. Do this no later than the end of August.

Thin fruits to concentrate energy on those remaining

Trained pear trees Jan

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VISIT GardenersWorld. com/pruning-training for more tips and videos on pruning

NEXT MONTH A late-summer shape-up to help make your magnolia shine 114 GardenersWorld.com

July 2022

PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE LOCATION: WEST DEAN GARDENS, W SUSSEX

Fruit trees like apples and pears can put on lots of vigorous growth in summer, and this in turn can cause congestion, stopping the fruits from receiving enough sunlight, reducing air flow and diverting the plant’s energy into foliage.

This is particularly a problem with trees that are trained into shapes like espaliers, fans or

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WHAT TO DO NOW

50 things to do this month from the Gardeners’ World team 123 Harvest climbing beans

120 Give your shrub roses a trim

PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE; JASON INGRAM

131 Pick flowers for indoors

127 Pot up rooted cuttings

135 Cut back meadow grasses

PLUS Collecting allium seeds K Taking semi-ripe cuttings K Picking cucumbers K Training blackberries K Repotting moth orchids July 2022

GardenerswWorld.com 117

WHAT TO DO NOW | JULY

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MONTY’S MONTH

PHOTOS: JASON INGRAM

Monty’s month July is when the freshness of spring and early summer starts to transition to the faded opulence of late August and September. Early-flowering plants are cut back, the roses cease flowering and the late-summer annuals have not really got going.

As a result, the garden can look thin for a week or two, as though emerging at 5am from the glorious party that was spring and early summer.

The answer is to cut back stragglers and to make sure that everything is

July 2022

properly supported so it stands upright and does not flop and suppress new growth. As with supporting plants at any time of year, the one rule is to do it before it is needed rather than afterwards as a rescue operation.

Gentle, unobtrusive support as tall plants grow, like many of the grasses, rudbeckias, asters and heleniums in Longmeadow’s grass borders, will mean several adjustments over the weeks but keeps the garden looking fresh in late summer.

WATCH Monty on perking up late-summer borders at GardenersWorld. com/perky-borders GardenersWorld.com 119

WHAT TO DO NOW | JULY

The rust that builds up on metal supports helps them to disappear into the background, but they will still last for years

At Longmeadow I grow a lot of ‘Old’ shrub roses that have a glorious burst of flower from late May to early July, but rarely flower again that year.

However, many modern shrub roses will continue flowering for most of the summer as long as they are deadheaded regularly.

In fact from early June right through into autumn I will deadhead these roses every day, removing

spent or damaged flowers to encourage new blooms. Damp and cloudy summers particularly mean that we have a lot of ‘balling’ where the bud swells but fails to open because the outer petals become glued together by damp, forming a hard shell that locks in the undamaged inner petals.

This process involves pruning with sharp secateurs rather than

just pulling off the spent petals.

Always cut back to a leaf or flower bud, even if that means taking off quite a lot of stem, as this will then encourage new shoots that will form more flowers.

VISIT GardenersWorld. com/rose-advice for our guide to growing roses

Snip off the old flowers at the base of the stem to avoid a profusion of snaggly stumps

PHOTOS: JONATHAN BUCKLEY; JASON INGRAM

WHAT TO DO NOW | JULY

Prune modern shrub roses

120 GardenersWorld.com

July 2022

MONTY’S MONTH WHAT TO DO NOW | JULY

Perlite holds just enough water to stop cuttings from drying out

Take semi-ripe cuttings

Pick larger cuttings than you need, then fine-tune back at your table

SWEET PEAS

To keep sweet peas flowering for as long as possible you must keep picking them. They quickly go to seed as the weather warms up, and drought also increases the rate of seeding, so they must be kept watered too. If you want sweet peas to stay at their best, pick every bloom every 8-10 days. In practice this means a weekly pick-through, and, as you do, remove any seed pods that appear.

July 2022

By July the new growth of shrubby herbs such as salvias, rosemary and lavender is starting to ripen, which means that you can begin to take semi-ripe cuttings this month.

A semi-ripe cutting differs from softwood cuttings taken earlier in the year in that, although it comes from new shoots that are mostly flexible, the base of the cutting will be firm.

This means that they are generally easier than softwood cuttings which, although they root very fast, also dry out very easily.

Choose straight new growth and cut back to some riper wood – which will usually be three or four inches down the stem. Put these cuttings immediately into a polythene bag

Sweet peas will last longer if you pick them when it’s cooler, in the early morning or in the evening

to reduce evaporation and when you have as many as you want, process them without delay.

Strip off all but the top leaves and cut cleanly just beneath a leaf node in the riper – firmer – section of the stem. Insert each cutting around the edge of a pot filled with a free-draining compost mix – although I find pure perlite works very well.

Water the pot and place in a warm spot that is not exposed to the full blast of midday sun. A mist propagator is a council of perfection but spraying with a mister a few times every day works fine. The cuttings should root within a couple of weeks and when you see new growth they can be potted on individually.

Don’t forget n Start sowing veg seed, such as kale and spinach, for winter pickings n Make more strawberry plants by pinning down runners in pots n Weed between onions by hand to give the crop the best growing conditions n Remove the lower leaves of tomatoes for better airflow and riper fruits

VISIT GardenersWorld. com/july-harvests for the top crops to pick this month GardenersWorld.com 121

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FRUIT AND VEG

SOLUTIONS

Put a straw mulch underneath fruiting stems of strawberry plants to keep fruits off the soil and protect them from slug damage. It will also help suppress weeds at the base of the plant, too.

Harvest peas

Young beans are delicious and regular picking will extend the cropping season

Check climbing beans for pickings Look right into the foliage of climbing and runner beans to check for beans that are ready to pick. Picking them when they are really young and tender is a luxury to be savoured.

The time from flowering to harvest can be a matter of days in the height of the season so check every few days to pick the beans at their best.

Regular picking also keeps the

flowers coming and extends the cropping season.

Support the stem above the bean cluster with one hand and give the bean a sharp tug with the other.

Get the best out of your pea crop by picking them close to when you plan to eat them. The fresher they are, the better because they’ll have maximum nutritional value as well as being at their most tender.

Hold the stems while picking off the pods, particularly at the base to avoid damage. Pick every day to keep them in growth.

Maincrop peas are picked over about three weeks so it’s good to successionally sow and keep plants maturing. Whole podded peas such as sugar snap and mangetout can be picked for twice as long.

Thin out apples

WORDS: ROSIE YEOMANS PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE

Reduce the number of fruits on your apple tree to improve the quality of fruit. The tree will naturally drop fruit in the summer but there may still be five or six fruits per cluster.

Remove any damaged or misshapen fruits, then choose one good one that gets the most light.

Cut off the rest. Use clean secateurs and collect up the small, hard fruit.

One fruit every 10-15cm will still give you a good harvest and the tree will have plenty of growing energy for next year.

VISIT GardenersWorld. com/july-jobs for more crops to plant this month

Pick peas as close to eating as possible for best flavour

TOP TIP Cover your brassica plants such as winter cabbage and purple sprouting broccoli with fne netting to prevent cabbage white butterflies laying eggs on the leaves

Reducing the number of fruit will improve the quality of the remaining crop

July 2022

GardenersWorld.com 123

WHAT TO DO NOW | JULY

QUICK

STEP BY STEP Harvest and feed spinach

20

Get another crop of spinach by cutting back hard to encourage new leafy growth. If the central stem begins to push through, it is bolting, but if you can cut this and the surrounding growth back, you’ll crop more before they get near to flowering again. Keep the crop well watered to delay bolting.

MINUTES TO SPARE

Put a 60cm high fleece barrier around rows of carrot seedlings to prevent female carrot flies from laying eggs on your crop.

Insert bamboo canes to wind the fleece around, and attach the fleece to the canes using clothes pegs.

Don’t forget n Harvest fresh growth on herbs for drying or freezing

GATHER a bunch of spinach leaves in your hand and cut them all off just below your grip to harvest in bulk. Check for old dead stalks you may have in your hand.

1

n Keep picking courgettes when they reach the desired size n Pick off the caterpillars of cabbage whites on brassica plants n Sow new batches of leafy salad crops n Start new crops of peas, sowing direct into the soil

Train new shoots along a horizontal wire framework to prevent them looping away from supports

124 GardenersWorld.com

Harvest every tuber to avoid unwanted ‘volunteer’ plants next year

Dig first new potatoes Investigate your new potato crop to see if they are ready to eat. They take about 12 weeks from planting to harvest and should be in flower by the time they are dug up.

Work your hand into the ridge to

check the size of the tubers. If they are the size of a hen’s egg they are worth digging. Cut the stems back then lift using a spade or fork under the ridge to lever up the haulm with potatoes attached.

Tie in loose blackberry stems

LOOSEN the soil a little then soak the ground around the plant with a watering can with high nitrogen liquid fertiliser added to the water to encourage leafy regrowth.

Train the new stems of blackberries and hybrid berries to make fruit picking easy next year.

These canes grow in the first year and bear fruit the year after.

In future years, the whole cane is pruned out completely after harvesting and replaced by the season’s newest growth, to fruit the following season.

Select strong shoots and tie them along the horizontal wired framework with soft string to support them. This gets them growing in the right direction rather than making long looping branches away from the supports.

HARVEST the young regrowth as soon as it is big enough.

Snap the leaves off from around the outside of the plant first to allow the inner leaves to grow more.

2

3

July 2022

PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE; JASON INGRAM

WHAT TO DO NOW | JULY

FRUIT AND VEG

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MINUTES TO SPARE Put up shade netting inside your greenhouse to prevent plants from getting scorched by hot, direct sun. It is much quicker to put up and remove than shade paint.

Harvest cucumbers Cucumbers come thick and fast at this time of year. So you have the luxury of harvesting them as smaller fruits to keep a fresh supply in the kitchen, rather than several larger ones all at once.

When harvesting, support the cucumber with your hand, then snip through the stem with secateurs. Cut as high up on the stalk as possible to improve the fruit’s keeping quality.

Limit the height of tomatoes Cut the top out of your cordontrained tomatoes once they have reached the height of your canes or they have set six trusses of fruit. It is possible to keep them in growth for

Cut carefully with sharp secateurs to avoid damaging the other stems

TOP TIP Pinch out the tips of aubergine plants once they are 30cm tall to encourage more flowering sideshoots to develop and create a sturdy plant that can comfortably hold the weight of the fruits.

126 GardenersWorld.com

longer if you allow them more height in your training system.

Tie the top of the plant to the cane or string to help them bear the weight of the fruit trusses immediately

below it. Make the tie loose and use soft string to avoid bruising the stem. Keep watering, feeding and removing side shoots while you are picking the ripened fruit.

Check cuttings Lift the covers off propagators every morning. It gets very humid inside, which helps rooting but can also cause rots, so a daily airing will help keep your plants healthy. Doing this also gives you an opportunity to inspect the compost to see if it needs watering.

Feel the compost in the pots and trays. Peat-free compost often looks dry on the surface but may be moist underneath, so check the compost before you water and leave the lids off for another hour to allow excess moisture to evaporate after watering.

WORDS: ROSIE YEOMANS PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE; PAUL DEBOIS; JASON INGRAM; TIM SANDALL

WHAT TO DO NOW | JULY

Tying in tomatoes helps support the fruits, and allows in air and light, making the plant easier to maintain

Giving cuttings an airing every morning by removing their covers

July 2022

GREENHOUSE NAMEXX WHAT TO DO NOW | JULY

STEP BY STEP Pot on rooted cuttings Pot rooted cuttings into individual pots to grow them on ready for planting. Cuttings of tender perennials taken in the spring will be ready, as will shrubs from cuttings taken at the end of last summer. They grow away quickly in the summer and make good-sized plants by the end of the season.

Water your plants before potting to minimise stress. Use a liquid feed to boost growth three or four weeks after potting.

1

TIP the cuttings out of the pot by turning it upside down while supporting the cuttings with your hand. If it doesn’t slide out, tap it gently on the side of your bench.

Check that there are plenty of roots.

SEPARATE the cuttings by teasing apart the roots from the base rather than pulling at the cuttings themselves.

This prevents the shoots being pulled off the new root system. Remove any yellowing or damaged leaves.

POT the cuttings into individual pots. Part-fill with peat-free potting compost then hold the cutting in the centre while you fill with more compost. Firm it in, making sure that all the foliage is above the surface.

WATER gently to settle the plant into the compost. Use water that has been standing in the watering can, so it’s the same temperature.

1

2

3

4

2

3

4

Plant up sarracenias with a low-nutrient compost and give them the damp conditions they like by standing the containers in a shallow tray of rainwater

Plant a sarracenia Grow an insect-trapping carnivorous plant to stretch your growing skills and catch a few flies into the bargain. The pitcher plant, or sarracenia, is native to North America, mainly the southern states, where they grow in constantly damp soils. They attract flies with their brightly coloured pitchers.

Pot them into a specialist lownutrient, lime-free compost. Grow them in as much light as possible on the greenhouse bench or conservatory. Keep them humid with plenty of rainwater and a mossy mulch on the surface of the compost.

VISIT GardenersWorld.

com/greenhouse for more on growing in a greenhouse July 2022

Don’t forget n Check plants daily for aphids and wipe them from stems with a damp cloth n Prick out the seedlings of biennials sown in trays last month n Feed tomato plants regularly with a liquid tomato food n Order special seed potatoes for a harvest in time for Christmas n Keep harvesting crops regularly to keep the produce coming

GardenersWorld.com Gard denersWorld com m 12 127

GLORIOUS

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PECTACULAR, EYE-CATCHING MOVEMENT flows wonderfully when grasses are sprinkled throughout the garden complementing any companion bloomers. Brand new Miscanthus Boucle produces feathery looking plumes of luxurious purple and silver in late summer and autumn amongst elegant green and white foliage. Trendy and tasteful, the Cortaderia Rosea, Pink Pampas, is one of the most eye-catching, exotic and conversational-inducing plants you can have. Glorious plumes of pink will appear in abundance and last for months of end. Great to dry and enjoy inside too. Pennisetum alopecuriodes Hameln, also know as the Chinese fountain grass, a perfect contrast against other flowering perennials where you can create the ever popular prairie style garden. The fluffy, brush-like flower spikes will sway back and forth in the breeze. Once established these grasses are drought tolerant and the delicate blooms will attract the butterflies. Your 9cm pots will be delivered in 7 days.

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ADAM’S ESSENTIALS

Repot your moth orchid every two years to keep it healthy and to stimulate new blooms

Repot your moth orchid (Phalaenopsis) every two years, even if the roots aren’t filling the pot. This will refresh the compost and ensure that there are plenty of air gaps, because old compost decomposes and becomes compacted.

Specialist orchid compost has composted bark, bark pieces and other low-nutrient light aggregates such as perlite in it.

Transparent pots are ideal for checking on the compost’s moisture content as well as the roots. It also allows some roots to photosynthesise as they would in their natural habitat, where they grow on the bark of tropical trees.

Keep the newly potted orchid at an even 20°C on a bright windowsill but out of direct sunlight in summer. Water into the top of the pot once a week, avoiding the crown and always pour away excess water.

Use an orchid feed in the water once a month through summer. Moth orchids will send up flower stems through the year.

Use a cane to support the weight and steady the flower stem when in full bloom.

PHOTOS: JASON INGRAM

STEP BY STEP Repot moth orchids

HOLD the pot at the base and keep the orchid steady at the crown with two fingers round it while you tip the pot. Be careful not to pull on the plant itself.

1

July 2022

CUT all brown, papery, dead, damaged or hollowed roots with a pair of snips. The healthy roots are white and have green tips. Cut back the longest of these to 10-12cm.

2

USE the same pot if the roots fit easily. Hold the plant in the pot then fill around the roots with compost and firm well. If some roots were above the compost, keep them exposed.

3

SOAK the newly potted orchid in a bucket of tepid rainwater for several minutes, then lift it out.

Make sure all the water has drained out before placing it on a saucer.

4

GardenersWorld.com 129

WHAT WHAT TO TO DO DO NOW NOW || MAY JULY

Repot your moth orchids

Japanese Cherry Tree

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Bursts into life in early spring Delicate white blossoms tinted with pink Highly attractive to bees and an important source of early nectar Cherry ‘Kojo-No-Mai’ This popular Fuji Cherry bursts into life in early spring when much of the garden is still dormant, with a flamboyant show of delicate white blossoms tinted with pink. The pretty blooms are highly attractive to bees and an important source of early nectar. Unlike the more familiar cherry trees Cherry ‘Kojo-no-mai’ forms a neat, compact shrub which is ideal for small or lowmaintenance gardens. Come autumn, the leaves of this RHS AGM variety turn to fiery shades of orange and red giving a long season of interest.

Grow Prunus ‘Kojo-no-mai’ in a shrub border alongside early spring bulbs for a show-stopping spring display. Supplied in 9cm pots.

Supplied as 9cm potted plants from June onwards.

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SPECIAL BONUS OFFER Clematis Winter Beauty This superb evergreen clematis bears its delicate, waxy, bell-shaped flowers in the depths of winter. The foliage is so lush, that you’ll think its summertime all year round! Plant Clematis ‘Winter Beauty’ against a warm house wall so that you can appreciate its winter flowers from your window. This sought after variety will appreciate a sheltered site with some winter protection. Height: 4m (13’).

Spread: 1.2m (4’). Pruning Group: 1.

Maxicrop Plant Treatment ONLY £1 Give your plants the best possible start in life with a Maxicrop Treatment by our trained staff prior to despatch. For ONLY £1 we will treat your whole order with MAXICROP to give your plants strong, healthy root system. Greener, healthier leaves. Reduced stress during transit.

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FLOWERS NAMEXX

n Sow wallflower seeds now, ready for planting out in autumn n Trim back and deadhead plants in pots and hanging baskets n Pinch out the growing tips of fuchsias

Feed and water exotic plants Give your vigorous large-leaved exotic plants a weekly boost with a liquid fertiliser. Add a dose of feed to the watering can, choosing a fertiliser with added seaweed extract to bolster the plants’ resistance to stress, particularly those growing in pots. This will also help them continue

WHAT TO DO NOW | JULY

Don’t forget

to do well as temperatures drop at the end of summer.

Water slowly to avoid waste and let it soak through the compost. Largefoliage plants act like umbrellas, so always water into the surface of the compost. Don’t rely on rain to provide water as most of it will run off.

n Plant out autumnflowering bulbs in free-draining soil n Pick sweet peas every two days to encourage more blooms

TOP TIP

If cutting fowers for the house, cut them early in the morning and plunge them straight into a bucket of water before taking them indoors to arrange them.

20

Give rose bushes a weekly trim

MINUTES TO SPARE Tidy up alchemillas by cutting off the leaves and spent flowers. These plants can be invasive so don’t be afraid to cut them back to the ground. Water them well afterwards and they will respond with a new flush of foliage for the rest of summer.

Monitor your exotic plants and water regularly to avoid them drying out

LOOK OUT FOR

Continue to deadhead roses by cutting off the old flowerheads with secateurs. Make it a weekly task to promote more flowers throughout the summer.

It is not unusual to get the odd stems that are more vigorous, which can make the shrub look untidy and misshapen. It is fine to cut these back to leave the bush in better shape. Chop them back to a strong bud under the canopy of surrounding foliage for the neatest effect. In dry weather, soak the ground around the bush to help it recover from this mid-season pruning.

Remove hollyhock leaves that are showing signs of rust.

The disease tends to start on the lower leaves but will spread up the plant and spoil the look of it. Rust will also reduce the plant’s vigour.

Check the leaves for orange spots on the top and orangey bumps on the underside. Snip off affected leaves and bin them. Remove badly affected plants to stop rust spreading.

See more details on p139.

July 2022

Prune roses back to a strong outward-facing bud at a 45° angle

WORDS: ROSIE YEOMANS PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE; TIM SANDALL

Hollyhock rust

GardenersWorld.com 131

STEP BY STEP Cut back flopped early perennials

Deadhead hostas

Renovate flowered perennials by cutting back all the old flowerheads. When stems drop to the ground it can ruin the look of a border, so this will give plants a new flush of growth. Look for signs of new growth in the centre to be sure that this technique works.

Cut the flower stems off hostas once they have faded. Follow the stalk as far into the base as possible and snip it off.

Plants prioritise flowers for energy supply so the foliage will often suffer while it is flowering.

Snipping off these old stalks will promote more flowers and will improve the quality of leaf display for the rest of the summer.

Do a quick check as you work, looking out for snails and slugs hiding at the base of the foliage.

LOOK for plants, like this centaurea, where the flower stems have flopped under the weight of its blooms, revealing an ugly centre and smothering other plants.

1

Flowered hosta stems can look tatty after a few days so cut them out to make the most of the foliage display

Give acid-loving shrubs a feed Choose a cloudy, still day to give acid-loving plants a liquid foliar feed, avoiding any chance of foliage scorching in the sunshine. Many ericaceous shrubs are spring- and early-summer flowering, so this month is a good time to give them a boost and strengthen growth for flowering next year.

Use a preparation formulated especially for ericaceous plants.

Prepare the feed in a watering can filled with rainwater and make sure you spray the uppermost foliage.

WATCH videos and get

tips at GardenersWorld.com/ feeding-plants

Apply a foliar feed to strengthen growth, for better flowers next year

132 GardenersWorld.com

USE secateurs to cut all the stems right back. Hold a few stems at a time, cutting them as close to the centre as possible. Work around the plant until it is cleared.

2

LEAVE the young shoots emerging in the centre. They will quickly bulk up and produce stems for a neat flush of flowers in a few weeks’ time. Water and mulch.

3

July 2022

PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE; TIM SANDALL

WHAT TO DO NOW | JULY

FLOWERS NAMEXX

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Anemone Bianco Centro Nero

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Height x Spread 25cm x 15cm Flowers Mar-May 10 bulbs £4.90 £4.17 K Ranunculus Elegance® Pastello Huge blooms in soft-pastel colours.

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K Scilla litardierei Feathery appearance in bloom.

H x S 20cm x 10cm F May-Jun 20 bulbs £4.80 £4.08 K Tulipa ‘Eyelash’ New cultivar, with large blooms in the classic tulip shape.

H x S 55cm x 20cm F Apr-May 5 bulbs £3.75 £3.19 K Tulipa ‘Brisbane’ Compact double-flowering variety

Tulipa ‘Eyelash’

Narcissus ‘Cosmopolitan’

Fritillaria uva-vulpis with finely fringed edges.

H x S 45cm x 20cm F Mar-Apr 10 bulbs £6.90 £5.87 K Allium ‘Ping Pong’ Tightly packed, silvery balls of tiny, star flowers.

H x S 90cm x 10cm F Jun-Jul 25 bulbs £3.75 £3.19 K Narcissus ‘Cosmopolitan’ Multi-flowering habit and a unique tricolour palette.

H x S 45cm x 10cm F Mar-Apr 10 bulbs £5.50 £4.68 K Erythronium ‘Lilac Wonder’ A shade-loving perennial with nodding lilac-pink flowers.

H x S 20cm x 10cm F Apr-May 5 bulbs £13.75 £11.69 K Fritillaria uva-vulpis A dainty easy-to-grow perennial.

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July 2022

GardenersWorld.com 133

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AROUND THE GARDEN

Beechgrove P

n Keep watering potted camellias but stop feeding this month n Propagate irises by dividing them after they have flowered

VIEW FROM BEECHGROVE

Water, feed and support tomatoes BEECHGROVE ON TV Catch up with the Beechgrove team on Thursdays in Scotland and on Fridays and Sundays nationwide. Check TV listings for full details.

Don’t forget n Thin out spring-flowering biennials sown last month, for better spacing

For the first time in many years, we are growing tomatoes outside in pots, as well as the greenhouse. The variety ‘42 Days’ is one of the earliest producers, going from flower to fruit in that time. Moved outside in early June, their watering and feeding mirrors those indoors. We avoid watering in the late evening, so roots don’t sit in cooler, wet conditions overnight. Regular liquid feeding is an essential part of the regime for containerised tomatoes, as is providing a gentle through-draught during the day for those growing indoors.

n Remove any plant material infected with grey mould as soon as possible n Make sure compost or soil is moist before adding feed

Cut back areas of meadowy grass

Grass grows slowly in dry periods, so you can reduce the frequency of cuts

WORDS: ROSIE YEOMANS, MAIRI RATTRAY PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE

Give meadowy areas a midsummer cut, using a strimmer or hand-scythe.

This gives a boost to wildflowers and weakens the grass, which can otherwise crowd everything else out.

The leaves of any spring-flowering bulbs in the grass will have died back by now, so next year’s growth will not be affected. Encourage wildflower seeds to spread by leaving the trimmings where they fall for a few days, then rake it all up and add it to the compost heap.

Cutting after wildflowers set seed encourages new plants next year

VISIT GardenersWorld. com/mini-meadow for tips on creating a miniature meadow July 2022

Raise mower-blade settings Keep your lawn green, healthy and un-stressed by raising your mower blades this month.

Lawn grasses are tough but after months of hard mowing, lifting the

blades midway through the season helps energise the grass and makes it better able to cope with hot, dry midsummer weather. If you return from holiday to an overgrown lawn,

don’t cut it back hard. Instead, you can avoid ‘shocking’ the grass by adjusting the blades to their highest setting, then gradually lowering the blades over the next few cuts.

GardenersWorld.com 135

WHAT TO DO NOW | JULY

Targeted watering on to the soil around the main stem reduces fungal problems and germination of weed seeds

Collect and save allium seeds

Don’t forget n Regularly check water levels in bird baths and ponds, topping them up where necessary n Water newly planted trees and shrubs regularly, especially during dry spells n Remove perennial weeds from borders while they are still small n Fill any gaps in your borders with potted annuals or late-summer flowering perennials

VISIT GardenersWorld. com/stop-pests for tips on beating common garden pests

White clover thrives in short lawns in a sunny position

Get extra plants by saving seeds from this year’s plants. Choose a warm, breezy day during a rainless period to be sure that they are quite dry and ready for storage. Cut down a stem, then hold it over a white bowl or sheet of paper and use your fingers to push the seeds out of their husks onto the pale surface. Alternatively, leave the flower stem in-situ in the border, and brush the seeds into a paper bag.

Finally, pour the seeds into a labelled paper envelope and store them in a tin, somewhere reliably cool.

Allow clover to flower for the bees Leave the white clover to flower in your lawn and you’ll be helping to feed a range of important pollinators. Clover flowers are extremely rich in nectar and attract several species of bees, including honeybees, short-tongued bumblebees and solitary bees – just be careful that you don’t get stung by one when you sit or walk on a clover-rich lawn.

With its ‘creeping’ habit, clover helps to keep down other weeds, and as with other members of the pea family, its roots fix nitrogen in the soil.

Husk material that falls with the seeds can be gently blown away

LOOK OUT FOR chrysanthemum leaf miner Check over the leaves of your chrysanthemums and other daisy-family plants for the tell-tale tunnels of leaf miner larvae. The adult fly lays its eggs in leaves and larvae eat their way through the leaf, later pupating into adults at the end of the tunnels they have made. Stop pupae from becoming adults and laying new eggs by picking off the worst-affected leaves and squashing any pupae that you find.

136 GardenersWorld.com

With dead material gone, pots look better – and other plants can thrive

Remove weaklings from pot combos Check for plants that have died or failed to thrive in crowded, mixed pots. Take a narrow hand-trowel and gently lift the plant and its roots out of the compost, being careful not to disturb other plants around it.

Watering the compost first can help

loosen the plant roots if necessary.

Make sure the compost is firmed back around the roots of the other plants in the pot. Also remove any dead leaves and debris from the base of the remaining plants, and then give it all a good soak.

Next month n Give wisteria a summer prune n Take hydrangea cuttings n Collect your own seeds n Sow green manures to improve your soil n Trim shrubs to perfection July 2022

PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE; TIM SANDALL

WHAT TO DO NOW | JULY

AROUND THE GARDEN

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Q&A

Your questions answered

Edited by Emma Crawforth

This month 141 Gardeners’ Question Time The BBC Radio 4 experts answer this month’s pick of readers’ queries, including: K Eradicating bindweed in compost heaps K What to do with bulbs after flowering K Controlling slugs and snails

TOP TIP

Hollyhock rust Some plants seem to come hand-in-hand with certain diseases, to the extent that when we gardeners see them, we simply expect to find tell-tale signs of the partner disease lurking around.

One such plant is hollyhock, which by this time of year is often disfigured by marks caused by rust disease.

It arrived in Europe in the 1800s and causes yellow-orange or rusty brown spots, usually on the leaves, which can end up in a sorry state.

It’s not fussy and infects hollyhock relatives, like hibiscus and abutilon too. The popular wildflower, common mallow is also a host and may release spores, which are blown over long distances, to infect garden plants. As with many other fungal diseases, hollyhock rust spreads faster in wet summers, the spores being readily released in humid air.

Young hollyhocks and those that are cared for are less likely to show severe symptoms, also avoid planting in excessively wet or dry situations. Cut the plants right down to the soil in autumn to reduce overwintering places and when you see badly infected plants, bin (don’t compost) them. Growing hollyhocks as biennials rather than perennials gives you a better chance of controlling rust, too.

Look out for other members of the mallow family growing near your hollyhocks as they may spread rust to your favourite flowers.

Emma Crawforth, Gardening Editor

Q What has happened to my hollyhock leaves?

Ruth Kerr, by email

A

PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE; PAUL DEBOIS

EMMA SAYS The spotted leaves and stems and the drooping, brown lower leaves (which would have been spoiled first) in the photo you sent indicate rust infection, even though the flowers are okay.

WATCH video guides and get tips on how to deal with

problems in the garden at GardenersWorld.com/problems

Contact us Email your questions to Q&A@gardenersworld.com or write to us at the address on p144.

July 2022

GardenersWorld.com 139

BUY 50

£19

THEN GET A FURTHER 50 FOR JUST

£1 MORE

Sphaerocephalon

ULTIMATE ALLIUM MIX

Purple Sensation

cowanii

nigrum

christophii

S

hining spheres of colour will add dimension to your borders or hover magically above your decorative pots throughout May and June. Cut for unusual bouquets or leave the blooms to dry for ornamental interest during late summer.

An interesting fact - Allium is an ancient name for garlic, once known for its medicinal and aphrodisiac qualities as much as its flavour. Easy to grow on any well-drained soil in sun or part shade. Height 45-60cm. Your order is covered by our No Quibble Guarantee and will be confirmed together with a copy of our latest catalogue.

Your bulbs will be delivered in September.

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gardeners’ question time

GQT

Q&A

Gardeners’ Question Time

Our experts tackle your gardening problems, including bindweed in compost heaps, wonky carrots and when to harvest potatoes

Bob Flowerdew

Christine Walkden

Matt Biggs

Bob is an organic gardener and has designed his garden to produce lots of veg, fruit and cut flowers.

Garden writer Christine appears on BBC1’s The One Show.

She is also a lecturer and tour leader.

Matt trained at Kew and has been gardening professionally for more than 30 years.

Q What could fill the gap when my

Q What can I do about bindweed in my compost heap?

PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE; PAUL DEBOIS; JASON INGRAM

hardy geraniums are cut back?

Jackie, Nottinghamshire

A CHRISTINE SAYS Sadly,

the competitive nature of many geraniums makes it almost impossible to plant other things with them that will not be swamped by their growth.

I have a similar situation in my own garden and have found the only thing that grows well there is Cyclamen hederifolium. Even if the cyclamen leaves are partly

Vigorous bugle (Ajuga reptans) will hold its own against hardy geraniums

July 2022

removed when cutting back the geranium foliage, normally they go on to flower into the autumn, filling the gap, and they seem to survive successfully alongside the geraniums.

I have tried other cyclamen, but they do not survive as happily.

Lamiums and ajugas do pretty well but do tend to grow through the geranium foliage, so a lot of their growth is lost when cutting back the geraniums.

Q&A

TEAM ANSWER

Planting with geraniums

H Cross, by email

A

Digitalis purpurea ‘Alba’ prefers nutrient-rich soil in partial shade

A

MATT SAYS Reduce your d dependence on geraniums in tthis shady spot by adding more vvariety and year-round interest.

Improve the soil with organic matter, then add snowdrops and daffodils for colour in late winter and early spring.

Go for smaller daffodil varieties, which need less moisture. Add splashes of Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ with blue flowers that look like forget me nots, and silvery variegated leaves, along with spotted-leaved pulmonarias or Epimedium stellulatum ‘Wudang Star’, with attractive foliage and nodding white flowers.

Try Digitalis purpurea ‘Alba’ for its white flowers in summer and add Cyclamen hederifolium, which thrives anywhere dry but not too hot. Ajuga reptans ‘Black Scallop’, with clear-blue spring flowers and dark foliage, will also add accents.

BOB SAYS If you leave your heap the bindweed will just carry on, pilfering all the goodness and spreading itself further.

If your materials are only partly composted, you could re-mix your heap, adding extra manure or other heat-generating ingredients such as fresh grass clippings. This way, the heat given off can cook the bits of root in the mix.

If your compost is already finished, you could sieve out the roots. This is much easier if the compost is dry, so help water to evaporate from the heap by keeping it protected from rain but open to the wind. Sieving also helps to remove any bits of rubbish, or any large, halfdecomposed pieces.

Bindweed roots are fragile, and regenerate from fragments

GardenersWorld.com 141

Q Is it thrips that are singling out my onions at the allotment, shrivelling up the leaves?

Neal Candelent, by email

A

Q What is this black stuff on the stems of my clematis?

Q Should I only dig potatoes after the fower has died?

Nicola Philpott, Norwich

A

CHRISTINE SAYS From your photograph it looks like the plant has an infection of blackfly. This can be removed by hand by just running your fingers up the stem.

Some people will use a forceful water jet but on thin stems such as clematis I find it does not work. Unless you get a very bad attack the blackfly should not affect the flowers.

Mark Carr and Steven Jude, by email

A

Potatoes and tomatoes are in the genus Solanum, with similar fruits

Q Why did our potato plants produce fruits that look like tomatoes?

Caroline and Xander Jacob, by email

A CHRISTINE SAYS Most

Old pots and logs give shelter to the slug-hungry common toad

Q How can I control slugs and snails without harming hedgehogs?

Nigel Rylance, by email

A

MATT SAYS Attract predators that will feed on them. Put stacks of pots and log piles in a damp spot for toads and ground beetles.

Centipedes also like dark, moist places. And lay some corrugated sheeting in the sun for slow worms.

You can also use nematodes to target slugs, put down beer traps and go on after-dark snail hunts.

142 GardenersWorld.com

Soil-borne smut can be avoided by sowing onion sets into modules

gardeners would say that potatoes are produced from tubers, and this is correct.

However, to create a new cultivar of potatoes you need to raise the plant from seed.

Seeds of a potato plant are produced once the flowers have been pollinated and fertilised, resulting in the ovary (fruit) swelling to produce what to all intents looks like a tomato.

This fruit contains seeds, which if ripened, sown and grown on, would then go on to produce plants, which would have characteristics from both the male and female parents.

Tomatoes and potatoes belong to the same family, but the fruit of the potato is poisonous.

BOB SAYS In the past, flowers on the potato plant appeared at about the same time as new tubers were forming. Thus, to lift a crop before the flowers died down would not have been sensible, as the new tubers would not have had enough time to swell up. However, more recently we’ve been breeding potatoes to give faster, earlier crops.

Whereas most garden varieties used to be maincrop or

late-maincrop, most are now second early or first early, and so are quick to make tubers.

Not only has this breeding pulled forward cropping, it’s also meant that potato plants spend less of their precious energy developing flowers. Some potatoes, especially the more modern varieties, flower very little. Victorian farmers reckoned on an extra ton per acre being gained by de-flowering their crops, so it’s clear this saved energy can make a big difference.

Q&A

HOT TOPIC Potatoes

Staggering your potato harvest helps avoid a glut, and keeps them fresh

July 2022

PHOTOS: GETTY/AKCHAMCZUK/MIKELANE45; JASON INGRAM; TIM SANDALL

Blackfly love the lush shoot tips of clematis, but are easily removed

BOB SAYS Thrips are unlikely to be the problem: if it was, your allotment neighbours would suffer from these mobile pests as well.

The same goes for onion fly. So, it’s probably a soil infection. If it was onion white rot you would have seen a whitish-grey fungus coating the bulbs. Rust would have caused orange spots and streaks, and downy mildew

would have shown up as pale areas, becoming downy-grey.

Most likely it’s onion smut. The spores infect seedlings with dark spots and streaks before leaves thicken, twisting and distorting them. You should also see black spores forming on the bulb scales: these last in the soil for years.

Your best bet going forward would be to start your onions from sets in cells, and to plant them in different soil.

Q&A

Ripe for picking

Q What is this on my fruit bushes?

Karen Spring, by email

A

BOB SAYS A quite similar appearance, though with more felting, can be caused by mildews or extreme weather. Although these markings appear alarming, they’re common on jostaberries and gooseberries. Fortunately, they do little harm, save slightly reducing the effective leaf-area.

This growth is best left – removing too many leaves will be worse

Q What do I do with bulbs in pots after fowering?

Pamela, by email

A

CHRISTINE SAYS If you intend to grow them on in pots they should be knocked out of their pots in July and re-potted into new compost. This should then be top-dressed with grit, remembering to label each pot so you know what they are.

Place the pots out of your way and do not water until they start

into growth again in the autumn.

If you do not wish to grow them on in pots, allow the foliage to go yellow naturally, and then plant them out in the garden.

They sometimes fail to flower as well in the first year after this, and need time to grow back to flowering-sized bulbs. Liquid feeding with a potash-rich fertiliser when the bulbs are in growth helps flower-production.

If bulbs look unsightly after flowering, move them out of the way until the foliage fades

Q Why are my traysown carrots weird?

Tony Kapelko , North Lanarkshire

A

BOB SAYS Carrots are usually, and best, sown directly where they’re to mature. Moving them nearly always results in such undesirable ‘confused’ roots.

Although it is possible to transplant carrots when small, I suggest instead you use a cloche instead of a greenhouse so you can sow early, but in-situ.

July 2022

The less disturbance they face, the straighter carrot roots will grow

Woods and hedgerows are great places to find wild food and connect with nature. Here’s the Woodland Trust’s guide on what to pick now

T

his is the perfect season to try foraging and give your food a seasonal boost – but do follow the foraging guidelines found at woodlandtrust.org.uk. You should forage responsibly and sustainably, and always take a good guide with you. If you’re in any doubt about a plant’s identity, don’t pick it. Here are four easy to identify edible plants to look for...

BRAMBLE LEAVES (Rubus fruticosus) You’ve picked blackberries, but did you know bramble leaves are edible too? Look for long, rambling, thorny stems. The green, tender leaves can be picked from April and used to make a tasty, fruity tea. Just infuse a few leaves in hot water for five minutes.

WILD GARLIC (Allium ursinum) Wild garlic often grows in dense clusters on woodland floors and along shaded hedgerows in England and Wales. The leaves appear as early as February and are best picked before the flowers die (early May). The flavour is mellow, so add to soups, salads, sauces and pesto, or infuse in oil.

MALLOW (Malva sylvestris) Found in open and sunny habitats, along hedgerows and in pastures and wasteland, mallow’s furry leaves can be picked now until early summer. They have a gummy texture that’s used to add richness to the Arabic soup ‘molokhia’. Come summer, mauve flowers appear. Similar in taste and texture to the leaves, they’re good in salads.

HAIRY BITTERCRESS (Cardamine hirsuta) A common herb with rounded leaves, it grows in rosettes low to the ground, with tiny white flowers on stems that rise from the centre. You’ll find it growing on soil or gravel, cracks in paths and hedgerows. The leaves and flowers have a peppery taste that’s great for salads or salsa.

To become a member of the Woodland Trust from just £4 a month, scan the QR code or visit woodlandtrust.org.uk Registered charity numbers 294344 and SC038885

Q&A

gardeners’ question time

Q Is there a hardy climbing rose for my small garden?

Joan Richardson, Isle of Jura

A

Vermiculite

Perlite

Both substances have many uses, but they retain water in different ways

MATT SAYS In small spaces, train roses up trellises, over arches or around doorways and windows to capture the fragrance.

There are several to choose from, depending on your personal preference.

Rosa ‘Blush Noisette’ is repeatflowering and produces clusters of small blooms. Early and repeatflowering R. ‘Gertrude Jekyll’

Q Vermiculite and perlite: what’s the difference?

A

CHRISTINE SAYS Many people think these two materials are very similar, but in practice they aren’t. Both are lightweight, but while vermiculite is good at holding onto water and nutrients, perlite tends not to.

This makes vermiculite perfect for jobs like covering seeds in seed trays, as it helps to keep the seed moist enough for germination, but offers little

Climber Rosa ‘Blush Noisette’ grows to three metres, so suits small gardens

resistance as the first seed-leaves emerge. It can also be mixed with compost to improve moistureand nutrient-retention.

In contrast, perlite’s relative inability to hold water and nutrients makes it perfect for situations where increased drainage, more air or lower fertility are needed in the growing medium. For example, when taking cuttings, or when growing plants that need little in the way of water or nutrients, like cacti.

Q Can you suggest a small evergreen for a sunny spot?

Q Is deadnettle OK for plant feed, or do I need stinging nettle?

Martyn Linnie, Bray, Ireland

Angela, by email

A

MATT SAYS Metrosideros umbellata has coppery young shoots that turn green, and red flowers in summer. It needs a sheltered, frost-free garden and fertile, moist but well-drained soil. Coprosma ‘Inferno’ has green leaves with gold and red variegation for year-round colour.

A

Metrosideros umbellata gives a striking display in warm gardens

Catch up with Gardeners’ Question Time Enjoy a fascinating crop of listeners’ questions and answers from the experts every week, on BBC Radio 4, Fridays at 3pm, repeated Sundays at 2pm.

BOB SAYS Yes, deadnettle could be rotted into liquid feed, as can most plants, however stinging nettle is considered to be rich in iron, calcium, magnesium and nitrogen, so is preferable. Comfrey is reckoned better for plants that like lots of potash, and I also find borage makes an excellent feed.

Despite the name, deadnettle is unrelated to stinging nettle

Contact us Email your questions to Q&A@gardenersworld.com Write to Q&A, Gardeners’ World Magazine, Vineyard House, 44 Brook Green, London W6 7BT We regret that we cannot offer a personal garden advisory service.

VISIT GardenersWorld.com/how to for more pest and disease advice, along with creative and problem-solving projects 144 GardenersWorld.com

July 2022

PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE; GETTY/STEVE HAMILTON/MOLLYNZ

Sandie Gale, Dorset

reaches two and a half metres, and has bright pink blooms with a traditional ‘old rose’ fragrance.

Another is R. ‘Zephirine Drouhin’, which is famous for being thornless and produces deeppink, perfumed blooms from summer to autumn.

Finally, R. ‘Open Arms’, which is more of a rambler in habit, has semi-double flowers that gently fade to pale pink, with a moderately musky fragrance.

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gardeners’ puzzle

Crossword Put down your trowel, pick up a pen and exercise those brain muscles instead…

1

5

4

3

2

6

Issue number 377

How to get in touch Please contact us online in the first instance Online

L Print and digital subscription enquiries (for issues relating to delivery delays, damaged issues and missing seeds) visit: buysubscriptions.com/GW

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L Editorial enquiries (for questions about features and magazine content): magazine@gardenersworld.com L Reader offer enquiries (for issues relating to featured offers and events): offers@gardenersworld.com L Website enquiries (for issues relating to registration, Secret Garden activation or forum access): website@gardenersworld.com

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7 8

9

10

11

Post

12

13 16

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15

Editor Lucy Hall Deputy Editor Kevin Smith Art Director Guy Bennington Chief Sub/Production Editor John Perkins Operations Manager Gregor Shepherd

17

Editorial

18

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L Subscription enquiries: BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, dsb.net Ltd, 3 Queensbridge, The Lakes, Northampton, NN4 7BF L General enquiries: BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, Immediate Media Co Ltd, 2nd Floor, Vineyard House, 44 Brook Green, London W6 7BT

Features Editor Adam Duxbury Gardening Editor Emma Crawforth Reviews Editor Kay Maguire Sub-editors Shirley Accini, Oliver Parsons Picture Editor Sarah Edwards Content Coordinator Lucy Felton Wildlife Editor Kate Bradbury Associate Editor David Hurrion Editorial Assistant James Jessel

20

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Art Art Editor Nikki Fabris Deputy Art Editor Andrew Ellis Reprographics by rhapsody With thanks to Paula Boyd-Barrett, Neil Darby, Greg Loades, Jean Postle

GardenersWorld.com 23

ACROSS 1 These long green-skinned salad favourites should now be ready to harvest (9) 7 The __ Project created a global garden in a Cornish clay mine (4) 8 Quercus palustris is also known as __ oak (3) 9 ‘A Shropshire __’ is a vigorous rose with a fruity scent and large pink-peach blooms (3) 10 Fragrant __ odorata attracts bees to the summer garden (6) 12 Tall deciduous conifer whose needles drop in autumn (5) 13 The male reproductive parts of a flower (7) 16 Grow this dwarf hot chilli pepper on a sunny windowsill (6) 18 Genus of mat-forming plants better known as thrift (7) 19 Common name for Achillea millefolium (6) 21 Salvia sylvestris ‘May __’ has gorgeous deep violet blooms (5) 22 ‘Red __‘ is a heritage cabbage variety dating back to 1860 (8)

DOWN 1 __ matting is an efficient way to water greenhouse plants (9)

2 Latin name meaning grey, as in Eucalyptus __ (7) 3 After watering, lay a thick __ around the base of fruit trees to hold in moisture (5) 4 Watch for the signs of blossom __ __ on tomatoes (3,3) 5 Small, immature onion bulbs ready for planting (4) 6 Remove __ pods from sweet peas to prolong flowering (4) 11 Wildflower traditionally used to treat eye infections (9) 13 Marine algae that makes a nutritious, sustainable fertiliser (7) 14 The edible nuts produced

by Prunus dulcis (7) 15 Dessert apple whose red skin deepens to maroon when ripe (7) 17 Flat-topped flower cluster where all the flowers are at the same level (6) 20 Sedum __ is better known as biting stonecrop (4)

23 Clarkia amoena, or __ flower (5)

SOLUTIONS to this crossword can be found in Have your say on p18 146 GardenersWorld.com

Website Editor Daniel Haynes Acting Deputy Editor Blake Roberts Picture Editor Sarah Edwards Content Creator Lily Middleton Senior Digital Reviews Writer Cinead McTernan Digital Reviews Writer Alex David

Editorial Review Board Executive Producer, Gardeners’ World, Bristol Gary Broadhurst Series Producer, Gardeners’ World Sharon Fisher

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BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine is published by Immediate Media Company London Ltd under licence from BBC Studios, which helps fund new BBC programmes.

We abide by IPSO’s rules and regulations. To give feedback about our magazines, please visit immediate.co.uk, email editorialcomplaints@immediate.co.uk, or write to Katherine Conlon, Immediate Media Co., Vineyard House, 44 Brook Green, London W6 7BT. BBC STUDIOS, UK PUBLISHING Chair, Editorial Review Boards Nicholas Brett Managing Director, Consumer Products and Licensing Stephen Davies Director, Magazines and Consumer Products Mandy Thwaites Compliance Manager Cameron McEwan UK Publishing Coordinator Eva Abramik (uk.publishing@bbc.com) web: bbcstudios.com ISSN 0961-7477. Copyright ©Immediate Media Company London Ltd 2022. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part prohibited without permission. The BBC logo is a trademark of the British Broadcasting Corporation and is used under licence. ©British Broadcasting Corporation 1996. Reproduction in any manner, in whole or part, in English or other languages, is prohibited. This work may not be photocopied or otherwise reproduced within the terms of any licence granted by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd or the Publishers’ Licensing Society Ltd. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in articles or advertisements, or for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations. Dates and prices are correct at time of going to press. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher. Immediate Media Company London Ltd is a registered data user whose entries in the Data Protection Register contain descriptions of sources and disclosures of personal data. Printed by Wyndeham Group. Gardeners’ World Magazine is printed on NovaPress 65gsm FSC from Stora Enso Veitsiluoto paper mill. Immediate Media is working to ensure that all of its paper is sourced from well-managed forests. This magazine is printed on Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certified paper. This magazine can be recycled, for use in newspapers and packaging. Please remove any gifts, samples or wrapping, and dispose of it at your local collection point.

July 2022 146 gardenersworld.com

To advertise in the classified section call 020 7150 5155

July 2022

Marketplace

Product Directory

GardenersWorld.com 147

Marketplace

Product Directory

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sculpture@ruthmoilliet.com ruthmoilliet.com 148 GardenersWorld.com

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Why not drop over to foodieflavours.com and check the ‘Rhubarb and Strawberry Fool’ recipe. Or make your own version by selecting from the huge range of high strength flavours available.

All are suitable for Vegans, Gluten-free, Egg-free, Dairy-free, no added sugar and made in the UK.

July 2022

Product Directory

The Yorkshire Arboretum offers 120 acres of peace and tranquillity in the heart of North Yorkshire. Nestled on the historic Castle Howard estate, the arboretum is the perfect place to escape to, just 30 minutes from York.

Experience a botanically diverse tree collection, wildflowers, sweeping vistas and rich native fauna.

Our café serves home-cooked food all day.

Dogs welcome.

foodieflavours.com

01653 648598 visit@yorkshirearboretum.org

Professional Japanese Gardening Tools

The Anne Cotterill Collection

Our best-selling Nisaku Japanese weeding knife is a must for any keen gardener. Hand made from the highest quality Japanese stainless steel by master bladesmiths, it’s perfect for tasks such as weeding, transferring bulbs, digging and cutting through tough roots. Professional quality and made to last. Great for gifting!

Beautiful floral greetings cards to buy from home. These vibrant and colourful fine art cards are all from the original oil paintings of Anne Cotterill and are the perfect choice for any gardener or flower-lover.

sales@toolsandthings.co.uk toolsandthings.co.uk

01297 553100 millhousefineart.com

Contact us for a free mail order catalogue or visit our website for easy ordering.

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Marketplace

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shop online www.twowests.co.uk call 01246 451077 for a free catalogue Two Wests & Elliott (GW) Unit 4 Carrwood Rd, Sheepbridge Ind.Estate, Chesterfield S41 9RH

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EasyClear 3000 £129.99 25 Ext % Freera

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Garden

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PLANT SUPPORTS & Garden Artefacts

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July 2022

NEXT month...

August issue on sale 21 July

Bring the outside in with our guide to cutting and arranging garden flowers

GOING WILD!

PHOTOS: MARSHA ARNOLD; SARAH CUTTLE; NEIL HEPWORTH; JASON INGRAM; GETTYIMAGES/ANA ROCIO GARCIA FRANCO

Discover how to take the lead from nature and let your wild side free – it’s the relaxed way to transform our gardens for the future

Get ahead with your winter crops – just follow MONTY’s expert growing guide

Gas barbecues on test – discover our Best Buys for hassle-free cooking

Enjoy outdoors cooking and Relax to the sound of water in eating this summer with ADAM’s your garden. Discover how with inspiration for food lovers ALAN’s advice on getting started

Create a vibrant potted show, for colour until the first frost, with ARIT’s colour-rich recipe

PLUS Carol Klein on garden trees K Summer problem-solving K Agapanthus K Reducing garden waste K Saving veg seed July 2022

GardenersWorld.com 161

And finally...

Tales from

Titchmarsh A cynic, we were told by Oscar Wilde, is someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. It is something I find myself musing upon with increasing regularity, especially when it comes to the countryside that surrounds us.

As gardeners, aside from growing our own food, our main aim is to beautify our own patch of the landscape. It is something for which we are often given little credit.

Granted, events over the past couple of years have brought most people into closer contact with that patch of earth outside their back door, mainly because for a considerable time they were allowed limited access to spaces further afield. The scales fell away from the eyes of those who had hitherto overlooked the potential of a seemingly modest plot. With a warm, dry spring in 2020 it offered a respite from the worries and woes of the world; its benefits on mental health were tangible. To sit among flowers, to watch butterflies, birds and bees, helped preserve a sense of proportion and perspective that was often elusive on city streets and in the centre of town.

Then came the relaxation of lockdown and the resumption of a relatively normal way of life. We were

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We cannot witter on about the importance of mental health and nature conservation while being totally cavalier about a landscape that plays a huge part in preserving our sanity and ensuring natural biodiversity

allowed, once more, to appreciate the delights of the wider landscape – the very reason why many of us love living in this small pattern of islands on the shoulder of the globe.

To walk the hills and dales, to dawdle along the banks of the river and watch the wildlife in hedgerow and woodland is a priceless gift that is free to all who care to avail themselves of it.

But life is real and life is earnest, and other preoccupations now begin to cloud the issue: Our fuel bills are soaring; having ‘gone it alone’ post-Brexit we must adjust the way we manage our land and our resources; with conflict in Europe there is a chance that imports of everything from gas to grain will be adversely affected. The need to become more self-sufficient is imperative, but at what cost?

Sustainability is the Holy Grail of energy supplies. I am no expert when it comes to the pros and cons of nuclear energy, North Sea oil and gas, wood-burning stoves and the need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, though it is obvious to most of us that the latter is certainly something we should be aiming for.

And the sustainable alternatives?

They are glaringly obvious: wind, wave and solar power. In themselves they are sensible ways of harnessing the power of nature.

But if in our methods of deploying them we destroy the very thing we are trying to protect – the countryside – then what on earth is the point?

If areas of outstanding natural beauty – from Caithness to Cornwall – are

to be covered in solar panels, what do we gain in the long run? Valuable farmland should be producing the food we need to replace the imports upon which we used to rely, not covered in photovoltaic cells made of silicon conductors. And yet, rolling field after rolling field of these Darth Vaders of the countryside are springing up all across the land.

Make no mistake, I am not against wind farms and solar power – far from it. But consideration must be given to their placement. Farmland that is capable of producing food should be used to do so. A landscape that can raise our spirits and feed our souls as well as supporting our native wildlife should not be regarded as inconsequential. We cannot witter on about the importance of mental health and nature conservation while being totally cavalier about a landscape that plays a huge part in preserving our sanity and ensuring natural biodiversity. There are brownfield sites where solar panels will be just as effective at harnessing the power of the sun than in part of the countryside that sustains us in other ways. There are offshore sites where wind farms can be even more effective than they are on land.

I do not offer myself as being in any way qualified to adjudicate on all these matters. I simply ask that in the quest for more sustainable energy supplies we have the good sense not to squander the beauty of the earth for the convenience of our home comforts.

July 2022

PHOTO: JASON INGRAM. ILLUSTRATION: CHRIS MADDEN ILLUSTRATION

With rising fuel prices, the need to be more self sufficient is clear, but wind farms and solar panels risk destroying our landscape, says Alan

The RHS Wisley Planthouse

The only timber greenhouses endorsed by the RHS From the smallest coldframe to the largest glasshouse, you can expect the same leading quality, value and attention to detail that we are famous for.

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See us at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival (4th - 9th July) stand 245 and the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park (20th - 24th July) stand 331. ®The Royal Horticultural Society. The Royal Horticultural Society, and its logo, are trade marks of The Royal Horticultural Society.

(Registered Charity No. 222879/SC038262) and used under licence from RHS Enterprises Limited.

BUILT TO LAST WITH A BEST IN CLASS WA R R A N T Y

Whatever the size and shape of your garden, we have the perfect lawnmower for you. Built with unrivalled quality and legendary reliability, our range of Honda lawnmowers are simply a cut above the rest.

For more information, and to find your local dealer, visit: honda.co.uk/petrolmowers

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